


Forbidden Love

by yingyangmaster



Category: The Lion Guard (TV), The Lion King (1994), The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Minor Battles, Romance, conflicts, happy endings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-09-28 17:13:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10141016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yingyangmaster/pseuds/yingyangmaster
Summary: Betrothals; an ancient tradition that is practiced by the Pridelands' Royal Family for centuries. But one particular Crown Prince of the Pridelands intends to defy the sacred ritual in order to pursue the love of his life, whom happened to be his best friend since his childhood days. Will he succeed, or will he suffer the consequences for such atrocity? Cover by the-hare on DA.





	1. Undesired News

**A/n: Hello! So this is my second story I'm posting within the Lion King fandom which, unlike my first TLK story (The Upendi Day Celebration), involves characters from both The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride and The Lion Guard. I wrote this story to portray the members of The Lion Guard as adults and also a brief mention to explain why Kion was not seen in the second TLK movie (according to my imagination, anyways). Please enjoy my story and feel free to leave a review :)**

**Disclaimer: The Lion Guard and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride characters all belong to Disney and its associates. I own nothing but the plot.**

_**Forbidden Love** _

**Chapter 1: Undesired News**

It had been exactly two weeks since the events that unified the Lions of the Outlands together with the Lions of the Pridelands, which all started when Zira, the now-deceased, former leader of the Outlands' Lions plotted to kill Simba and take over his reign to conquer the entire Pridelands herself. Unfortunately for the ambitious, evil lioness, fate chose to be cruel to her that day, and she eventually found herself falling to her death into a rapid-flowing river during a horrendous battle between the two prides of lions.

And with Zira gone, the lionesses of her faction defected and were eventually welcomed to live in the Pridelands with Simba's blessing, which he had done so in Kiara's honour. Zira's death wasn't the only good news that spread across the Pridelands; animals from all over the Serengeti had the opportunity to gather at Pride Rock to witness the union between Kiara, Princess of the Pridelands and Simba's heiress, and Kovu, the youngest son of Zira and is now Kiara's mate and Simba's son-in-law.

The following couple of weeks to come since that fateful day have been rather peaceful, as the Outlands Lions eventually settled down and were getting along just fine at their new home at Pride Rock. With Kovu as her mate, Kiara's life had never been happier. Simba and his mate, Nala, too had enjoyed the peaceful retreat of the following weeks, as order was once again restored over the Pridelands.

One particular morning, just as the Sun had began to rise, two animals were seen walking across the vast Acacia grazing grounds and heading towards Pride Rock; an elderly mandrill and a young adult Lion. The mandrill was Rafiki, a mysterious old shaman who, despite his senile-like mannerisms, was considered the wisest being and the sage of the entire Pridelands, and whom also happened to be a close friend of the Royal family. The young Lion was Kion, the young Prince of the Pridelands, Simba's heir and leader of the respected Lion Guard, a band of five animals who had sworn to protect the Pridelands with their lives.

Kion had formed the Guard when he was a cub, after it was discovered that he possessed a special ability known as the 'Roar of the Elders', which, when applied, will instil a huge amount of power to his roar and would in turn have a destructive effect to whomever or whatever it was aimed at. In his years of growing up, Kion had to use the 'Roar' quite a few times, most of which were used as a last resort to fend off enemies. Of course with great power comes with great responsibilities, and as such, the young Lion was always training to discipline himself whenever he had the time, either on his own or with the help of Rafiki. And on that morning, Kion had just finished his daily meditation session with Rafiki at the mandrill's baobab tree-home and were now heading back to Pride Rock.

"I must say, Kion, your focus and attention have proven to be much sharper than usual this morning!" Rafiki exclaimed to the young Lion in his thick African accent.

"Heh, what can I say, Rafiki? I learnt from the best!" Kion replied as he grinned at the mandrill. "That journey that you forced me and the rest of the Guard to go on sure changed us a lot!"

The 'journey' that Kion was referencing to was actually a task assigned by Rafiki to the members of the Lion Guard exactly two weeks ago. The old mandrill had met with the Guard at their lair and tasked them to climb to the highest point of Mount Kilimanjaro and visit the eternal resting place of the founding members of the Lion Guard, which, according to Rafiki, was a ritual that every subsequent generations of the Lion Guard had to adhere to. The journey itself proved to be a very daunting task, and it took Kion and the Guard five whole days to complete it.

And while they were journeying their way up to the Mountain, they were oblivious to the battle between the Pridelands' Lions and the Outsiders which had taken place hundreds of feet below them. So it came as a surprise to Kion when he arrived back at Pride Rock and found out that the Outlander Lions were, from then on, living with his family and the other Pridelanders. At first, he didn't quite like the fact that the Outlanders were living at his home, but since the last couple of weeks, he had eventually grown used to having them around and even considered them as part of his own family.

"It's good to see how much you've improved yourself, Kion, not only physically but spiritually as well!" Rafiki chuckled as they walked on ahead. "Oh, it felt like it was just yesterday that you were only a young little cub who had just discovered that he possessed the Roar of the Elders. Now look at you! You've grown!"

And so he had. Kion grew from a slender young cub to a matured young adult Lion. He now had a fully-grown bushy mane which grew around his head and on his chest, and thick muscles that covered his shoulders and hind legs, complementing his powerful and robust built. His boyish voice had broken so that he now speaks with a calming deep and husky voice that reflects his gentle nature.

"Thanks for that, Rafiki," Kion chuckled good-heartedly at the old shaman.

"No, thank you, Kion! It has always been a blessing for me to watch the only son of Simba grow up to become the matured young Lion that you are, now," Rafiki complemented back, much to Kion's contentment.

Just as the pair were a few yards away from Pride Rock, three animals were seen heading towards them from the other direction; a Honeybadger, a Hippopotamus and an Egret, who was flying above. They were the three other members of the Guard; Bunga, Beshte and Ono. Kion had recruited them when they were much younger, and just like their leader, they too have grown and matured over the years.

Bunga the Honeybadger had grown slightly bigger in size and his high-pitched voice had broken into a deeper and lower-pitched tone. Though he may have matured physically, his mannerisms and behaviour haven't changed much, as he still kept up with his childish antics and regularly likes to play random pranks on Kion and the others. Beshte the Hippo had grown much larger in size which certainly came as an advantage, as it aided him in terms of strength and made him appear more intimidating to enemies. Ono the Egret had grown much taller and slender than before and his unique, raspy voice had become slightly deeper and raspier, though these transformations don't actually effect his abilities as the most intelligent and the keenest of sight member of the Guard.

"Kion! Rafiki!" Bunga cried out as they approached their leader.

"Hey, guys! What's going on? And where's Fuli?" Kion asked when he noticed that fastest member of the Guard wasn't with them.

"Sorry Kion, we don't know where she is," Ono replied, earning a look of concern from Kion. "We were at Pride Rock earlier waiting for you and Fuli to start our morning patrol when Kiara came in and said she needed to see you urgently."

Kion let out a long sigh at the mention of his sister looking for him. "Alright, fine. I'll go and meet up with Kiara. In the meantime, you three can go on ahead and patrol around the grazing grounds in the North. Oh, and keep an eye out for Fuli. She's never been late for morning patrol before."

"You got it, Kion!" Beshte said as the trio turned around and started heading northwards. "Oh, and nice to see you, Rafiki!"

"Bye now!" Rafiki called out to them as they slowly disappeared from their sights. He then turned towards Kion. "And I'll see you at our next meditation session tomorrow morning!"

"You better believe it!" Kion chuckled as he left the mandrill and rushed towards his home at Pride Rock.

As he entered through the main entrance of the lair, several Outlander lionesses warmly greeted and acknowledged him to which he humbly nodded and smiled back at them. Just then, he was approached by a particular male Outlander lion who had a very distinguishable black mane and tufts and whose appearance very nearly resembled that of Scar's. It was Kovu, Kiara's mate and Kion's brother-in-law. Though they've only known each other for two weeks, both Kovu and Kion had an instant liking for each other on their first meeting, mainly due to them sharing the same kind-hearted and friendly nature. Though Kovu was much older than him, he always interacted with Kion as if they were long-time pals of the same age and was always hanging out with him whenever he wasn't with Kiara. Needless to say, Kovu viewed Kion as the brother he never had, considering the sour relationship he used to have with Nuka, his now-deceased step-brother, back when he was still exiled in the Outlands with his famiy.

"Kovu! Heh, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Kion cheerfully greeted Kovu with a grin, though he was clearly surprised by his brother-in-law's presence. "I thought you went out hunting with Dad?"

Kion's question was met with a solemn look from the Outlander lion. "I'm sorry, Kion, but there's been some bad news. We received word that Ma Tembo is critically ill and there's no chance of her surviving. Your parents have just left to see her and possibly attend her funeral later on."

Kion was clearly devastated with this piece of news. Ma Tembo was the elderly leader of the Elephants of the Pridelands and was a very close friend of the Royal family, but she was particularly close with Kion and always acted as a grandmother figure to him as he grew up.

"How come no-one came to tell me about this?" Kion asked with a frown and holding back his tears.

"The messenger elephant said that it was Ma Tembo's request that you and Kiara do not see her in such a dire condition. Your parents thought it was best to respect her wishes, so they left without you and your sister. Oh and err… they left Kiara in charge of the Pridelands while they're gone, so she's the acting Queen for the day."

Kion was disappointed to find out the elderly elephant whom he was close with didn't want to see him in her final moments on this earth, and the fact that his sister was the ruler of the Pridelands for the day didn't make him feel any better.

"Is that why she's looking for me? To let me know that she's the acting Queen and I have to do everything that she tells me to do?" Kion rhetorically asked in a sour tone, much to Kovu's amusement.

"No. I called you because of something else," Kiara said as she suddenly appeared behind Kion, startling him on purpose.

"Yeesh! Must you do that?" Kion frowned at his sister, but his look of disapproval was only met with a smirk from his sister.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya," Kiara replied smugly before giving her brother a sisterly nuzzle against his shoulder. "And I'm sorry about Ma Tembo."

Kion's expression fell once again at the mention of the elderly elephant. "Yeah, I'm sorry for that too." He paused before deciding it was probably better to change the subject. "So what was the reason you wanted to see me?"

Kiara and Kovu glanced at each other (much to Kion's suspicion), before Kovu decided to step up and do the talking. "Vitani is waiting for you outside the Lair, Kion. She wants to have a word with you in private."

Vitani was the second child and only daughter of the late Zira and had been living with the Pridelands' Lions since her mother was killed. After settling down in her new home for the past couple of weeks, she grew to enjoy being in the company with the Royal family along with the other Lionesses who were the original inhabitants of Pride Rock. Just like her younger brother, Kovu, she was particularly close with Kion and usually preferred to hang around with him whenever he was off-duty. Having only known each other for two weeks, the pair interacted and saw themselves merely as friends and nothing beyond that. But just recently, the pair had been spotted spending time together quite frequently around the Serengeti, which, as a result, sparked some rumours going around of a possible romance between the two that spread within the animals of the Pridelands and even within the inhabitants of Pride Rock, though both Kion and Vitani were completely oblivious and unaware of such hearsay.

Kion had spent more than enough time with Vitani to learn that she was very blunt and frank and was always doing things on-point by herself (having inherited those traits from her late mother), so it came as a surprise to Kion that she summoned him through Kiara, which was not usual of her.

"Why didn't she just call me or looked for me herself, like she always does?" Kion asked while raising a brow in suspicion.

"Oh, you'll find out when you talk to her," Kiara responded, putting on an assuring smile that only resulted in heightening her brother's suspicion.

"Okay…" Kion said as he gave a final doubting glance at his sister before heading towards the Lair's exit.

Both Kiara and Kovu observed Kion as he slowly made his way outside.

"Do you think it will work?" Kiara asked her mate in a low voice once Kion was out of earshot.

Kovu remained silent as he continued to observe Kion through the Lair's entrance before he eventually let out a sigh and looked hesitantly at Kiara. "I've known your brother for only two weeks now, but even then I can tell that he's not at all ready to accept what lies ahead of him."

Kiara turned shifted her attention from Kovu and stared after Kion while sharing the same doubtful expression. "That's how I feel about him too."

XXXXX

The moment Kion left the Lair's entrance, he could see Vitani settled down near some bushes as if she didn't want to be seen outside, and all the while she was seen sulking and staring at the ground. Though she was usually seen with a sour face whenever and wherever she went, Kion could feel that there was something was bothering the young Lioness as he carefully approached her.

"Vitani? Were you looking for me?" Kion gently called out to her, prompting her to suddenly sit up straight and with a surprised look on her face.

Vitani opened her mouth to say something but hesitated as if she was afraid of uttering the wrong thing to Kion. She then took in a deep breath and decided to just go straight to the point with him. "Kion, I'm not sure how you're going to react to this, but… we are betrothed."

"Ah ok, then I'll just… wait, what did you say?!" Kion blurted out, thinking that his ears were deceiving him.

Vitani was unsure whether he couldn't hear her or just couldn't believe what she just said, so she repeated her sentence slightly louder this time. "We are betrothed to each other, Kion. We are betrothed, as arranged by your father."

Kion's jaw dropped open and his mind was desperately trying to make sense of what Vitani had just said. The whole world started spinning and he could feel his hind legs slowly going limp.

"We're betrothed?"

**To be continued…**

 


	2. Complications

**Chapter 2: Complications**

Kion started rubbing a paw across his forehead in disbelief, still unable accept the fact that his father had betrothed him with Vitani, a Lioness he barely knew for not more than two weeks. Vitani was clearly not too pleased with the news either, as she sourly stared towards the ground to avoid meeting his gaze. Though she tried to hide it, Kion noticed a single tear trickle down from her left eye accompanied with a brief sniffle that she vainly tried to supress.

"Hey, err… Vitani?" Kion began, as the lioness straightened her composure before forcing herself to look at him in the eyes to see what he had to say. "I really need to know… how do you feel about all this… about us betrothed to each other?"

Vitani let out a long sigh as she began contemplating with herself on how she was supposed to answer his question. "To be honest, Kion, I… I just… well…"

She winced, trying to give a straight answer but her words seemed to be chocked up in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Kion, but I… I just want to be alone."

And with that, the young lioness left abruptly and hurriedly made her way towards the foliage that grew behind Pride Rock, all the while desperately trying to hold back her tears. Kion was tempted to follow after Vitani and try to comfort her, but he guessed that he'll only put her off if he were to do so.

With a sigh, Kion headed back towards the Lair, with ears drooping and his tail between his legs. Kovu and Kiara had been watching their exchange from the Lair's entrance and were clearly upset (though they were not surprised) by the outcome of it. They greeted Kion at the Lair's opening and Kiara instantly gave him a comforting nuzzle.

"I'm really sorry, little brother," she said, still resting her muzzle against her brother's shoulder.

Kion glanced over at his snuggling sister before turning his attention towards Kovu, who was aiming a pitiful look towards him. "Kovu, if you don't mind, I'd like to discuss something with Kiara… in private."

Kovu exchanged glances with Kiara, who in turn, gave him an assuring nod. Shaking his head, he left the two siblings and wandered off deeper into the Lair and away from them.

"Kiara, when did Dad make the crazy decision to have me and Vitani betrothed?!" Kion hissed once he was sure that Kovu was out of earshot.

"Dad made the announcement before he and Mum left to visit Ma Tembo. That was about two hours ago," Kiara patiently replied and trying to remain calm in front of her confronting brother.

"Who else knows about this?" Kion asked, worried that a particular close friend of his would hear about the news.

"Just everyone here at Pride Rock and some of our family friends. Dad hasn't actually made the official announcement to the other animals yet, but he will once he gets back home," Kiara said, as her brother began nervously pacing back and forth. "Although, I don't really think the other animals will be surprised by the news."

Kion stopped his pacing and raised a brow at his sister's last sentence. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"Well, um… you and Vitani _have_ been rather close with each other the past few days, and well… you seem to enjoy each other's company everytime you hang out together, so there's been some rumors going around that-"

"Hold on a second. Just because I'm spending more time with Vitani, everyone in the whole savanna thinks I'm dating her now?!" Kion angrily blurted out, slightly wishing that he hadn't spent so much time with Vitani in public. "Don't tell me that's the reason why Dad betrothed us together."

"Well… that's actually one of the reasons," Kiara began with a nervous smile. "The other reason is that Vitani is the only Lioness here in the Pridelands who's younger than you. I'm sure you're familiar with the golden rule regarding the future King and Queen of the Pridelands."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, the future Queen should never be older than the future King," Kion impatiently recited the law that bounded each generation of Rulers of the Pridelands. "But it's not really fair, you weren't betrothed to anyone and got to marry Kovu-"

"That's because I'm the Princess, Kion, and the tradition of betrothals only apply to the Prince of the Royal Family," Kiara sharply replied, not wanting Kion to bring about her mate into their so-called discussion that was fast turning into an argument.

"Well, whatever it is, I can't marry Vitani. I just can't."

"And why not?"

Kion aimed a frown towards the ground as he carefully considered whether or not to reveal to Kiara the reason why he opposed the suggested union between him and Vitani. Finally decided, he let out a sigh and looked solemnly at his sister.

"Because, Kiara, I was thinking of proposing to someone else. Someone whom I had known and worked together with for a long time, and who had always been looking out for me since we met. Someone whom I love with all my heart and someone whom I've considered a close friend," Kion confessed.

"And… who exactly is this 'someone'?" Kiara slowly asked, hoping and praying that her brother wouldn't utter the name of the very person that came to her mind when Kion described his love interest.

Taking a deep breath, Kion revealed to Kiara the identity of his 'close friend' that he was about to propose to. "It's Fuli."

Kiara let out a disappointed sigh and tried her very best to maintain her composure. "Kion, I'm so sorry to say this, but… are you out of your mind?!" she unwillingly blurted out which, as a result, attracted the attention of several Lionesses who happened to be nearby.

Realising her mistake, she led Kion to another corner of the Lair and away from any prying eyes before continuing in a much softer voice, " _Kion, you can't marry Fuli! To refuse Vitani as your betrothed is bad enough, but to marry Fuli, a Cheetah, is worse and will be the biggest mistake of your life_!"

Kion remained silent and solemnly stared at Kiara in her eyes that was slowly making her feel uncomfortable.

"Kiara. You are my sister and I assure you that I have nothing but love and respect for you. _But you don't tell me who I can marry and who I cannot, you hear me?!_ " Kion hissed angrily at his sister while gritting his teeth and flashing his razor-sharp fangs at her.

"Kion, please. I'm not telling you to do anything, I'm just saying all this because I don't want you to get into trouble with Father," Kiara calmly replied and was unmoved by her brother's display of hostility.

"Well you're not helping me nor making my situation any easier!" Kion snapped back, still aiming a frown at Kiara. "I can't tell you how maddening it is for me that you got to marry the love of your life while I'm betrothed to a Lioness whom I barely know!"

"Look, Kion. I know it seems unfair, but you just have accept the fact that you're gonna have to marry a Lioness. I know you and Fuli are close and she's your childhood friend, but… how on Earth are you going to have cubs together when you two marry? You do know that Cheetahs and Lions can't produce offspring together, right? And anyways, how do you even know that she'll say 'yes' to your proposal?"

Kion was noticeably agitated by her questions, but he cooled down and calmly replied to his sister. "Kiara, I don't know about you, but I don't see having a mate as merely having the ability to produce cubs with someone else. I see it as spending the rest of your life with someone that you truly care and love with all your heart, and for me, that 'someone' is Fuli. But as to whether she's willing to accept me as her mate or not… well, I was hoping to find that out when I propose to her later today."

That wasn't the answer Kiara was hoping for. "Kion, you do know that there will come a time in the future where you'll be taking over the position as Ruler of the Pridelands after me, right? You'll need cubs of your own to continue your reign, and-"

"Well, maybe I don't ever want to be King of the Pridelands, have you ever thought about that?!" Kion growled, his unsheathed claws puncturing into the dirt ground as he shot a dangerous glare towards his sister.

"Kion, I hope you didn't mean what you just said," Kiara retorted in shock, not believing that her brother would say such a thing.

Kion was about to mention something else when another female's soft and silky voice echoed through the den and interrupted him. "Kion? Kion are you here?"

Both siblings turned their heads to see Fuli standing at the Lair's entrance and right in front of them. Kion's scowl instantly disappeared and was replaced with an automatic smile that spread across his lips the moment he saw his Cheetah friend.

Just like her leader and the rest of the Guard, Fuli too had grown and blossomed into a beautiful and matured young-adult Cheetah. She had grown generally bigger and slightly taller in size, her chest had developed and was noticeably much broader, and her enticing curves graced her body in all the right places. Over the years, she had outgrown the brusque and snarky character she used to be when she was a cub and was now much more relaxed and easy-going, making her a very likeable person. Wherever she went, she was usually seen with a rosy smile that graced her lips, complementing her soft and gentle nature, but presently, Kion saw that a worried expression had replaced her familiar smile and it was quite noticeable that she anxious about something.

"Yeah, I'm here, Fuli! What is it?" Kion acknowledged her, though he was silently praying that whatever it was that bothered her didn't had anything to do with the news of his betrothal.

"There's been an emergency over at the Desert Plains. I'll explain to you along the way," Fuli briefly replied before she turned around and waited for her leader to join her.

"Hang on, I'll be right with you!" Kion called out after her, somewhat glad that Fuli had unknowingly disrupt his confrontation with Kiara. He turned around and shot a cold glare towards his sister as if to say 'our discussion is over' and immediately left, leaving Kiara to feel slightly hurt by his words and actions. Shaking her head, the young Lioness went over to find Kovu, hoping to seek advice from him on how to handle her brother when he gets back to the Lair.

Running together side-by-side, Kion and Fuli headed South towards the barren Desert Plains of the Pridelands.

"What's the emergency, Fuli?" Kion inquired in a professional manner, mentally pledging to himself to not let his feelings for his female comrade get in the way from performing his duties as a member of the Lion Guard.

"It's Dhalili the gazelle, I came across him at the Plains while on the way for morning patrol, and it seems that he had fallen into some quicksand. I spent half the morning trying to pull him out, but I just wasn't strong enough to do it alone," Fuli explained.

"Well, you were right to get me then. Come on, we have to hurry before Dhalili sinks any further!"

"Wait, what about Bunga, Beshte and Ono?"

"I sent them off to patrol around in the North. It's too late to get them now," Kion sighed, wishing that he didn't send the rest of his team there in the first place.

"You sure we don't need them? Dhalili had sunk pretty deep when I last left him," Fuli said, a hint of doubt noticeably within her voice.

"Well… we don't have much of a choice. We just have to do whatever we can to try and save him."

Fuli wasn't too optimistic and convinced by his reply, but she chose not to say anything further. After running for several minutes, they eventually reached the spot within the Desert Plains where the gazelle had fallen into the quicksand.

"Fuli, you came back! Oh, and thank the Heavens, you brought Kion with you as well!" Dhalili shouted, obviously relieved to see both felines rush to his aid.

"Don't worry, Dhalili. We'll do everything to get you out of there, I promise!" Kion responded while flashing an assuring smile towards the gazelle. He saw that Dhalili's lower half of his body was completely submerged into the quicksand while only his head and front hooves remained above it.

"Well, I definitely hope so, Kion. I can feel the sand slowly rising above my chest now," the gazelle quivered in fear.

Fuli went ahead and clenched onto one of Dhalili's antlers with her jaws. "Come on, Kion! We've got to pull him out before the sand swallows him whole!" she cried out, her voice slightly muffled.

Instead of following suit, Kion frowned as he carefully observed the quicksand that was slowly swallowing the gazelle. "No, that won't work. He's sunk too deep inside for us to pull him out. We have to try something else."

"Okay, so what do you suggest we should do then?" Fuli asked, letting go of her hold on Dhalili's antler.

Kion carefully went towards the gazelle and dipped a paw into the quicksand. He felt the texture of the sand around his paw and instantly got an idea. "Dhalili, we'll do our best to help you and get you out from this quicksand, but I'm afraid we'll need your help as well."

"Yeah, sure, sure, anything! What do you want me to do?" Dhalili responded in a panicked tone.

"I need you to try your very best and kick your hind legs in the sand, as if you're kicking them in water. Can you do that?" Kion calmly instructed.

"Err… ok, I'll try," the gazelle replied, though he a bit confused by the Lion's instruction.

With a grunt, Dhalili tried to move his hind legs as instructed, but he felt that his legs just wouldn't budge in the quicksand around him. After asserting himself and putting much more effort, he was finally able to kick both his hind legs downwards, which, in turn, propelled him upwards by a few inches.

"Hey, I think it's working!" he exclaimed when he felt his body rise from the sand.

"Okay, great! Keep kicking into the sand until you rise high enough for us to safely pull you out of there!" Kion shouted encouragingly.

Dhalili eagerly complied and began kicking into the quicksand. With every kick of his hind legs, his whole body slowly started rising upwards and, at the same time, causing the viscous sand around him to conveniently displace itself away from his body and aiding him in his ascend to freedom.

"Okay, he's high enough. Fuli, grab hold of his other antler and get ready to pull him out!" Kion ordered, as he himself grabbed onto Dhalili's left antler with his jaws.

"You got it!" Fuli complied and wedged the gazelle's right antler between her jaws.

"Okay, on my count! One… Two… Three… Pull!"

With a grunt, both felines proceeded to yank on Dhalili's antlers simultaneously, while the gazelle aided their efforts by continuously kicking into the sand. After much heaving and pulling, their efforts eventually paid off and Dhalili was finally able to pull himself out from the quicksand.

"Whew! My goodness, I can't tell you two how much I'm grateful to you both getting me out of that death trap!" Dhalili exclaimed in relief once his fours were on the solid ground.

"Happy to help, Dhalili!" Fuli cheerfully chirped with a grin spread across her lips.

"Yup, just doing our jobs, Dhalili!" Kion laughed while giving a friendly pat on the gazelle's back.

"Well, thanks again for all your help, you two!" Dhalili smiled and turned to head back towards his herd. "Oh, and Kion, I've heard about the news! Congratulations, by the way!"

Kion's cheerful expressions fell and he started to panic when Dhalili mentioned about 'the news'.

"What news is he talking about?" Fuli softly asked while raising a brow at him.

Kion gulped as he frantically tried to think of an answer without letting Fuli know about his betrothal to Vitani.

"I err… I'm not so sure what's he talking about," Kion replied untruthfully while maintaining a straight face and avoiding her gaze. "Whatever it is, it mustn't have been important. Come on, let's just go back to the Lair and meet up with the others."

Fuli wasn't at all satisfied by his reply, but she decided not to say anything about it out of respect for her leader. They both began heading back towards Pride Rock, starting off their journey with a pregnant silence that bubbled between them. As they strolled ahead, Kion found himself secretly stealing glances at his female Cheetah friend walking beside him whenever she was not looking. It was just the two of them, walking back towards their usual rendezvous point with no other animals in sight.

His heart was racing as he saw that now was the perfect opportunity to reveal his true feelings for her and finally 'pop the question'.

"Um… Fuli? Can I tell you something?" he began, breaking the silence between them.

"Yes, Kion? What is it?" she softly asked in her sultry voice, as she turned towards her Lion comrade while flashing the sweetest smile that he had ever seen before.

Kion's breathing intensified as he stared into her mesmerizing emerald eyes and the gracious smile on her soft lips that he longed to have his own lips wrapped around them. He opened his mouth and was about to pour his heart out when he suddenly remembered about his betrothal to Vitani.

"You err… you did a great job pulling Dhalili out from the quicksand back there… I'm proud of you," he finally said, completely against his own will and mentally berating himself for letting go of the opportunity.

Fuli paused in her tracks and was completely surprised by Kion's sudden compliment, but she eventually dismissed it as Kion's way being friendly with her.

"Thanks for that, Kion. You did well yourself," she purred with a small grin on her lips as she briefly nuzzled against Kion's muzzle to express her gratitude.

Kion couldn't stop himself from closing his eyes and letting out a sigh as he savoured the heavenly feel of her soft fur brushing against the underside of his muzzle. Right after they broke their embrace, Fuli gave him a small, friendly lick on his nose before walking ahead to continue on with the journey. Kion sighed as he stared after the female Cheetah walking ahead in front of him. He regretted not admitting to her just how much he truly loved and care for her. To think that he had been friends with her since they were cubs, playing and fooling around with each other as they grew up, and yet he was forced to marry someone else just because she was a Cheetah and he was a Lion.

Struggling to maintain a straight face and hiding his disappointment, Kion walked ahead and caught up with Fuli, as they continued walking back home without uttering another word for the rest of their short journey.

**To be continued…**

**A/n: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! More to come very soon. Hope you guys have a great day ahead! :D**


	3. Calm before the Storm

**Chapter 3: Calm before the Storm**

 

Kion and Fuli finally arrived at the base of Pride Rock, where Bunga, Beshte and Ono had been waiting for them for the past two hours.

"Finally! There you two are!" Bunga exclaimed while giving Kion a friendly punch to his side. "What kept you? We almost wanted to call for a search-and-rescue mission thinking you guys were in some sort of trouble!"

"Heh, sorry about that, guys. We had to drop by the Dessert Plains to help pull Dhalili out from some quicksand this morning," Kion explained with a grin, as his best friend clambered on top of his back and snuggled himself in the Lion's bushy mane.

"Well at least you two had something to do. We spent the whole morning just patrolling around the grazing grounds and listening to Beshte chattering about his first date last night with Bashira!" Bunga lamented, causing Beshte to blush a deep shade of scarlet while his other friends laughed and congratulated him on his first night out with his long-time crush (who was also a hippo).

"Well, I'm really happy and glad for you, Beshte," Kion said, giving his hippo friend a wink to which Beshte smiled awkwardly and tried to hide his bashfulness.

"So there weren't any emergency at all when you three patrolled in the North?" Fuli inquired, bringing back the formality in their meeting.

"Nope, all seems to be fine out there this morning," Ono cheerily confirmed and feeling somewhat relieved by it. "All the herds are grazing at their usual spots and we didn't find any signs of Hyenas or danger within the vicinity."

"And we didn't see any signs of trouble while we were heading South earlier," Kion stated, recalling his journey to the Desert Plains with Fuli. "Huh. I guess there's not much going on in the Pridelands today."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think this is exactly what we all need; an entire peaceful day to ourselves with not a single conflict or emergency to disturb us!" Fuli sighed, as she began stretching herself before comfortably settling down on the soft grass beneath her.

"Yeah, you got that right, Fuli!" Bunga exclaimed cheerfully in agreement as he began nestling himself against Kion's mane while Beshte settled himself on the grass with Ono perched on his back. "Hey, Kion! Anyone ever tell you how incredibly soft your mane is?! You can drown in all this plushiness!"

Kion was momentarily spaced out by what Fuli had said earlier and was noticeably startled when Bunga called out his name.

"What…? Oh, yeah sure…" he trailed off before suddenly lowering his head and carefully putting Bunga onto the ground.

"Hey! What gives?" the honeybadger exclaimed when he was removed from the comfort of Kion's mane and placed onto the grass.

"Sorry, Bunga, but I need to go up to the Rock's peak for a while," Kion briskly replied without explaining his motive and started walking ahead. "The rest of you can stay here and take a breather. You all deserve it."

The heavy tone of his voice when he said this clearly indicated that something was bothering him, but they knew that even as close friends, it would be disrespectful of them to pry into their leader's personal conflicts. Fuli's lips curved downwards with concern as she observed her Lion friend carefully walking up the narrow ledge at the side of the rock formation that eventually lead to the Rock's pinnacle.

Once Kion had reached the ledge of the Rock's peak, he took his time to observe and appreciate the view of the entire Pridelands that was beautifully spread right before him, from Mkuni woods in the West to the vast flood plains towards his East. But his main purpose for being up there wasn't just to enjoy the spectacular view. Taking a deep breath, he cocked his head upwards to focus his gaze towards the sapphire sky, just as a beam of sunlight passed through some clouds and focused its golden shine onto Kion, as if on cue.

Kion felt slightly guilty and uneasy when the ray of sunlight aimed its shine directly upon him. He knew that somewhere beyond the shining light, was the spirit of Mufasa looking down upon him. Mufasa was the deceased father to King Simba and was also Kion's grandfather. Despite completing his journey in the Circle of Life, Mufasa's spirit had made it a priority to readily assist his grandson whenever the young Lion found himself in a state of conflict, usually by materializing himself high in the clouds before giving some sound advise that would eventually lead Kion to resolutions for the problems that he faced. This was Mufasa's indirect way of looking over his beloved son, Simba… and also his way to escape the boredom that came with spending the rest of eternity in the Afterlife.

Back when he was still a cub, Kion regularly had to consult Mufasa due to him still being young and regularly needed advise and support, both of which Mufasa was happy to provide to his grandson. But as Kion grew and matured over the years, his interaction with his deceased grandfather slowly declined as his strengthening thinking and problem-solving skills meant that he rarely needed to seek Mufasa for his help and advise. As a result, it had been exactly five years since he last made contact with his deceased relative, and now he felt completely guilty for 'abandoning' the only person who had helped him over the years, despite being in the Afterlife.

"Grandfather Mufasa… I know that… it's been too long since I last came to you for advice, and for that, I'm really sorry," Kion sighed with guilt while hoping that his grandfather would still find it in his heart to help him with his current personal conflicts. "Grandfather, there's something that's been troubling me very recently and… and I just hope you'll be able to forgive me and help me with my problems…"

He waited for his grandfather to manifest himself in the clouds, but after waiting for several moments, Mufasa never did, though the ray of sunlight kept focusing its shine upon Kion. His heart slowly sank as he was convinced his grandfather didn't accept his apology and was still upset with him. Disheartened, Kion let out a long sigh and was about to turn and leave when he felt a sudden gust of wind blew around him. Several pieces of leaves were picked up by the wind and for a moment, they twirled and danced just inches away from his muzzle. His eyes widened in bewilderment as he focused his gaze onto the leaves right in front of him before the wind made a sudden _swooshing_ sound and carried the leaves past his head behind him. Kion turned around to trail after the leaves… and immediately saw Fuli slowly walking towards him, completely catching him by surprised.

"Kion? Kion, are you okay?" Fuli asked in concern before standing right next to her distressed Lion friend.

For a moment, Kion was unsure if she asked that question because she heard him 'calling out' to his deceased grandfather or because she genuinely sensed something was troubling him, but he guessed that she probably didn't have enough time to hear him reach out to Mufasa when she arrived.

"Oh… yeah, sure…" he replied half-heartedly, though he wasn't expecting his Cheetah friend to believe in his lie.

Fuli smirked and gave him a friendly nudge. "Come on, Kion, you can do a lot better than that!" she laughed so cheerfully that even Kion couldn't help but chuckle along. "Kion, it's so obvious that you're not being your self since we got back from the Desert Plains… what's troubling you?"

The young Lion gulped, not knowing what to say. He desperately wanted to tell her how much he loved her beyond than just being her friend and asking for her paw to be his mate… but how could he do so if he's already betrothed to Vitani? And as Kiara pointed out earlier, how would he even know if Fuli was willing to accept him and agree to be his mate?

Kion let out a long sigh and gazed at his Cheetah friend with a longing look in his amber eyes. "Fuli… do you still remember that one evening when we first met each other, back when we were still cubs?"

"Sure, I saw your butt sticking out from the tall grass and pounced on you, thinking you were a piece of dinner!" Fuli giggled as she fondly recalled their first, no-so-pleasant encounter with each other. "It's kinda hard to forget that cute, sour face you gave me when I got off from you, Kion."

"Haha! Yeah, I was really mad at you for trying to take a bite out of my backside," Kion chuckled in agreement as his boggled mind finally soothed down a little upon hearing her hearty laugh.

A pregnant silence soon followed between them as Kion considered what to say next. But before he could open his mouth, Fuli spoke first. "You know, Kion, I'm actually kinda glad that I mistaken you for a piece of gazelle meat on that day," she smirked teasingly at him.

"Really? Why's that?"

"Because if I hadn't, I would never have met you, Kion," Fuli replied in a soothing voice as her smirk slowly turned into a heartfelt and grateful smile. "Ever since we became friends… my life had been a little less lonely from then on… and, well… I'm just really grateful for the friendship that we have with each other."

Kion was completely astounded by her sudden confession, which, he could tell, was made sincerely from the bottom of her heart. But he was even more surprised when she unexpectedly got closer to him and nuzzled affectionately against him for the second time that day in an act of gratitude. The feel of her smooth fur brushing against his side was more than enough for Kion to forget all his conflicts and problems, as he returned her display of affection by gently rubbing his muzzle against the back of her neck and taking the opportunity to savour her sweet scent.

When they eventually broke away from their embrace, Kion regained his confidence and took a deep breath as he prepared himself to finally ask Fuli the question that would forever change his life. "Fuli… how do you feel about spending the rest of our lives with each other?"

Fuli raised a brow, surprised by his random question. "Well, we've been friends for so many years… I don't see-"

"I meant spending the rest of our lives together… beyond than just being friends."

Fuli's eyes widened in disbelief when she finally understood what he meant by his question. "Are you… are you asking me-"

"Yes, I am…" Kion replied, all the while staring zealously down into her striking emerald eyes. "Fuli… since all those years ago when we first met, not a day goes by where you're not with me by my side. We played and had fun with each other when we were cubs, we became members of the Lion Guard and protected the Circle of Life… we've done and achieved many great things together and…"

The female Cheetah held her breath as Kion spoke the words she'd never thought would ever come from her Lion friend. "Fuli… we've been close friends with each other for a long time and… I was considering of taking our relationship to the next level by spending the rest of our lives together… as mates."

Kion sat back and waited anxiously for her reply, as his heart pounded against his chest and his gaze locked firmly onto her eyes. For a moment, he noticed a small smile graced Fuli's soft lips and a gleam of excitement reflected in her brilliant jade orbs. But sadly, it didn't last long as Kion saw the sparkling twinkle in her eyes was spontaneously shrouded by a flicker of rejection and her beautiful smile was replaced by the violent twitching of her lips.

Kion's heart sank to the deepest pit as he watched Fuli divert her gaze towards the ground with ears folded back as she slowly shook her head. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Kion… but… I can't."

The disheartened Lion let out a long, disappointed sigh as he struggled to accept her blunt rejection. He remained silent as he stared intently at Fuli, who continued to avoid from meeting his gaze by staring straight towards the ground. He noticed the tears that was slowly trickling down from her crystal orbs and her mouth quivered violently as if she were choking on her own words. Kion frowned, not understanding the logic behind her repudiation to his proposal. He saw the excited gleam in her eyes right after he popped the question to her and she reacted as if she was more than delighted to say 'yes'… so why did she unexpectedly rejected his plea to be his soulmate, then? That was the question that would slowly kill him if he didn't find out soon enough.

Kion took a deep breath and gave Fuli a gentle nudge to get her attention. "Hey… look, I don't mind you saying 'no', but… could you at least tell me why?" he softly asked and mentally prepared himself for her answer, which he felt would most probably hurt him even more.

Fuli finally gathered enough courage to look at her heartbroken friend in his amber eyes. She hesitated, not knowing how to explain her rejection without hurting Kion any further. "Kion… you're my closest friend and my leader… and I can't tell you how much I love and appreciate our special relationship with each other. But there's something I-"

Fuli's reasoning was abruptly cut short when they both heard a loud squawking sound coming from above them. Both felines turned their attention towards the sky where they saw a scruffy, blue-feathered hornbill struggling to keep himself airborne while screaming hysterically in the air.

"IT'S A TRAP! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! ALL OF THEM! CALL THE CAVALRY! THEY'RE DECLARING WAR AGAINST THE PRIDELANDS!"

"Is that Zazu?" Fuli exclaimed in surprise, the hornbill's sudden appearance seemingly snapped Kion and herself from their emotional state. Fuli then noticed Zazu's feathers were ruffled up and blood was dripping from a wound that was slashed across his midsection. "Look, I think he's injured!" she pointed out, as the frazzled hornbill swooped past their heads and flew straight into the opening that led into Pride Rock.

Kion looked on towards the opening, where Zazu's hysterical squawking could be heard echoing throughout the Lair, even from outside. "Fuli, whatever it is you were about to say, you can tell me later. Right now, we have to put our emotions aside and see what happened to Zazu," he finally stated while noticeably struggling to sound professional and maintain his composure. As difficult as it may be, he didn't want his personal conflicts with Fuli to affect his duty as leader of the Lion Guard, even if it meant that he might never know the reason behind Fuli's rejection to his proposal.

Though she was disheartened for losing her opportunity to pour her heart out, Fuli managed to give a single nod of agreement before they both made their way towards the Lair, with neither of them speaking nor making any eye contact with each other along the way. Whatever problems they were having with each other, Kion and Fuli had a hunch that there were probably bigger ones heading their way, especially when they heard Zazu mentioning about an unknown enemy declaring war against them and the entire Pridelands.

**To be continued…**


	4. Lured

**Chapter 4: Lured**

"IT'S A TRAP! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE! CALL THE CAVALRY! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Zazu's frantic squawks echoed throughout Pride Rock, attracting the attention of Kiara, Kovu and the other Lionesses who immediately rushed towards the hysterical hornbill to see what was going on.

"Zazu, what happened?!" Kiara gasped when she saw the bleeding gash that sliced across the hornbill's breast, drenching his once brilliant-white feathers with his own blood.

"THEY'VE GOT THEM! WE WERE SURROUNDED! IT WAS AN AMBUSH! SOMEONE GET THE CAVALRY!" Zazu continued his wailing and was seemingly oblivious of his own injury.

Kion and Fuli entered the Lair just in time to see all the Lions gathering around the injured Zazu, who kept on squawking in his hysterical state.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kion inquired as he approached them.

Hearing Kion's voice, Zazu stopped his cries and immediately hopped towards the Lion, leaving a trail of his own blood along the way. "Oh, Master Kion, I'm so sorry! They tried to fight them off… but there was just too many of them and… and…"

"Zazu, what are you talking about?" Kion sternly asked, who was just as baffled as the other Lions.

Zazu paused to take a deep breath and managed to continue in a much calmer tone. "It's your parents, Kion. I accompanied them on their visit to the Elephant Territories as was my rightful duty, but it turned out that Ma Tembo isn't dying! She and the other Elephants are being held hostage by hyenas and vultures!"

A deafening silence erupted throughout the Lair as the Lions began staring at each other in disbelief upon hearing this piece of information.

"What about our parents? Are they okay?!" Kiara anxiously asked with tearing eyes, breaking the surrounding silence.

"I'm so sorry, your Highness. The King and Queen, they fought hard, they truly did… but it was just the three of us against twenty hyenas and fifteen vultures! And... and, well…"

"Zazu… I need to know from you, are my parents still alive?" Kion slowly asked, holding his breath to prepare for the worst possible news he might ever hear in his life.

Zazu gulped nervously and was noticeably at a loss of words. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Master Kion, I'm not too sure. I was chased by Mzingo the Vulture during the entire ambush, but last I saw the King and Queen… they were lying on the ground after Mzingo's cronies dropped some stones on them in an aerial attack. I err… I'm not sure, sire, if your parents were unconscious or…"

He couldn't bring himself to continue his sentence, knowing it will only add more disparity to the situation. All around the den, the Lions' were in a state of shock after hearing the tragic news. The Lionesses were murmuring amongst themselves on what was going to happen next while Kiara tearfully buried her muzzle against Kovu's shoulder, who was also struggling to hold back his tears. Kion let out a sigh, trying to accept the news. As devastated as he was, he knew that the injured Zazu was his priority at the moment. He turned to call out one of the lionesses. "Nuru. Please go out there and get Rafiki, tell him that Zazu here is injured and needs his assistance." The lioness nodded and promptly left the den without saying a word. Kion looked down when he felt Zazu tugging on one of his paw. "Excuse Master Kion, I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but… I really have to ask you, what are we going to do now?" The room fell silent once again as all eyes were now focused on Kion.

"We're going to the Elephant Territories and we're going to bring back the King and Queen. I don't care what Zazu said, I still have faith that my parents are still alive and we're going to bring them back here no matter what. If the Hyenas and Vultures are still out there, so be it. They want a fight, we'll give them a war," he said solemnly, causing everyone in the den to react in surprise at his rather bold statement.

He turned to face the fastest member of the Guard. "Fuli, I need you to get the rest of the Guard here now. Tell them we're leaving for the Elephant Territories in ten minutes." Fuli didn't like the idea of resorting to as a solution, but she knew it wasn't her place to question Kion's decision. She gave him a nod and hurried outside to get the others.

Kiara was also doubtful about Kion's idea of going to war, so she approached her brother once Fuli left. "Kion, before you even leave this den, I need to know from you; what exactly do you plan on doing to bring back our parents?"

"Simple. The Guard and I will go to the Elephant Territories, fight off the hyenas and vultures and bring Mum and Dad home. You, Kovu and the Lionesses stay here and make sure nothing happens in the Pridelands," Kion replied frankly and started to head outside.

Kiara proceeded to block her brother's path, not at all satisfied with his response. "Kion! Didn't you hear what Zazu said? Twenty hyenas and fifteen vultures, and there's only five of you in the Guard. You're literally committing suicide!"

"We've handled hyenas and vultures before, Kiara. It won't make a difference," Kion calmly said while trying to get past his sister.

"Yes, it will, you're heavily outnumbered!" Kiara lashed out angrily at Kion while holding her ground to block his path. "Kion, you're not being yourself today. You're not thinking straight at all. If you still insist on going to the Elephant Territories, then I'm going with you."

"No, you can't!" Kion angrily retorted back at his sister.

"And why not?"

"Because… I can't risk losing you, Kiara." He paused to gaze at his sister's eyes. "Look… I know I'm contradicting myself by saying this, but… if Mum and Dad didn't survive the ambush, then you're the only family I have. You're my only sister, Kiara, and I don't ever wanna lose you."

Kiara remained silent. She was touched by her brother's words, but she still didn't want him to go and battle with the hyenas and vultures with only the other members of the Lion Guard as his backup. "Kion… if you carry on with your plan, you're going to get yourself and the rest of the Guard killed. You're my younger brother, Kion and I love you… I can't risk losing you as well. Please, just… just let me go along with you."

"Your sister's right, Kion," Kovu agreed with his mate, finally deciding to have his say on the matter. "You and the Guard are heavily outnumbered, you'll need all the help you can get. And if my beautiful wife is going with you, then I'm going as well. And I'm sure the Lionesses won't mind tagging along as well."

Kion looked past his shoulder to see the Lionesses were all nodding and agreeing with Kovu, though Kion was still noticeably in a state of doubt. "But who's going to look after the Pridelands while we're gone? If anything happens, who's gonna defend the animals here?"

"I will."

Kion turned to see Vitani approaching him from amongst the other Lionesses. "You do what you have to do, Kion. I just need three others to be with me, the rest of the Lionesses can go with you."

Kion looked doubtfully at her but finally gave in. "Alright, fine. Nuru, Asha and Bahati will stay here with Vitani. The rest of the Lionesses will follow us to the Elephant Territories," he announced, much to Kiara's relief. "We leave now while there's still daylight."

Kion turned around and was about to join the rest when Vitani pulled him back by clinging onto his tail. "Hey, listen… before you go, please… just promise me that you'll be safe," she pleaded to him in a low voice, gazing intently at his eyes.

Kion was pleasantly surprised by this, considering her words of concern were contradicting here rather sardonic nature. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be fine," he softly replied to her with a smile before giving her an assuring nuzzle, to which she happily returned by affectionately nestling against his side.

They eventually parted, and Kion turned to join the group… only to see Fuli standing behind him along with the rest of the Guard who were all waiting at the entrance. Kion felt slightly guilty when he saw the unmistakeable gleam of jealousy in the Cheetah's eyes, it was clear she saw him nuzzling with Vitani.

"Come on, let's go," Kion briefly said as he brushed past Fuli without making eye contact with her, determined not to let their personal issue get in the way of their mission.

Fuli stared briefly at Vitani before turning to follow after her leader, struggling to conceal her hurt feelings from the others. Kovu and Kiara felt sorry for both Kion and Fuli, but they know that now wasn't exactly the right time to interfere in their conflicts. And so without anything else being said, the Lion Guard, along with Kiara, Kovu and the Lionesses left the den and started journeying towards the Elephant Territories on their quest to bring back the King and Queen of the Pridelands.

**To be continued…**


	5. Despair

**Chapter 5: Despair**

As the day progressed on and the sunny afternoon slowly became dusk, the posse of Pridelanders, consisting of the Lion Guard, Kiara and Kovu, along with 14 Lioness hunters, headed for the Elephant Territories, kicking up a dust trail as they raced across the savanna. They were confident that their combined numbers would be all that they needed to face off with the twenty hyenas and fifteen vultures that were holding their King and Queen captive. The group of animals journeyed tirelessly for almost two whole hours, going beyond the Pridelands' borders before eventually arriving at a vast clearing that they immediately recognized as the Elephant Territories.

As it turns out, the Elephant's enclave was located at a rather hilly area where only a few trees dotted here and there within the clearing. A small cave was formed within one of the larger hills that surrounded the glade and was used by the Elephants as a shelter whenever it rained. Presently, the team of Pridelanders peeped over the edge of a ridge that was overlooking the clearing below. From their vantage point, they saw that the Elephants were nowhere to be found within the grassy fields. They did, however, spotted two familiar animals sitting right in the middle of it.

"Hey, isn't that Cheezi and Chungu?" Fuli pointed out, straining her eyes to focus on the two hyenas.

"Yeah, you're right, but… if they're here, shouldn't Janja and the rest of their crew also be here as well? And I don't see any of the vultures… or Simba and Nala and the Elephants," Beshte stated, scanning his eyes around the field.

Kion frowned as he squinted his eyes, trying to pick up any signs in the distance that will indicate where the rest of the Outlanders or his injured parents might be. That was when he spotted the small cave that the Elephants used as shelter, just a few feet behind from where Cheezi and Chungu were sitting.

"Hmmm… my guess is that Janja and the vultures are holding Mum and Dad and the Elephants hostage in that cave over there… and Cheezi and Chungu must have been assigned to keep watch outside," he pointed out, nudging his head towards the cave's opening.

"Well, then this is an easy one! Just take out the two hyenas outside and then storm the cave afterwards!" Bunga exclaimed as he got off from Kion's back and made an attempt to dart off towards Cheezi and Chungu.

"Whoah, not so fast, Bunga!" Kion hissed quietly and grabbed onto the Honeybadger with a paw to prevent him from going any further. "Cheezi and Chungu might not be all alone. The vultures might be hiding in one of those acacia trees as back-up."

"Oh… I never thought of that…"

Kion let out an exasperated sigh before turning towards Ono, who was perched on top of Beshte's back. "Ono, scout the entire parameter, make sure that Cheezi and Chungu are indeed alone. Oh, and make sure that the path between here and the cave's entrance is clear, we don't want to run into any trouble along the way that will foil our rescue plan."

"Affirmative." The Egret gave him a solemn salute with his wing before taking off into the skies.

The group of Pridelanders watched as Ono circled around in the sky above for about five minutes before landing back on Beshte's back.

"Well, did you see anything?" Kion asked.

"Nope, I checked every acacia tree in the area and I didn't see a single vulture hiding in any of them. Also, I didn't see anything along the path between this ridge and the cave's opening, so we shouldn't run into any problems along the way."

Kion grinned at hearing this. "Alright, good job, Ono! That confirms my suspicion that the vultures and the rest of the hyenas are in that cave with Mum and Dad."

"Okay, so now we know what we're up against, how exactly are we gonna handle this?" Kiara asked, turning towards her brother.

Kion shifted his gaze to face the Cheetah crouching down next to him on his left. "Fuli, you and Bunga take down Cheezi and Chungu. At the same time, the rest of us will quietly make our way to the cave and catch the hyenas and vultures by surprise."

Fuli sat up in surprise and cast a doubtful look towards the Lion. "Kion, you can't be serious!" she hissed at him. "Bunga and Ono can easily take down those two hyenas with their eyes close! You need fighters to go with you in the cave, you'll need my help!"

"Yeah, you're right… and you can help me by following my orders and not question my decisions." Kion said in a dangerously calm voice as he gazed intently towards the Cheetah.

Everyone else could suddenly feel the tension heightened between the two as Fuli shot a frown at her leader while Kion maintained his threatening glare towards Fuli. Even Bunga knew better than to butt in and put up an attempt to defuse the situation between the two.

Eventually though, Fuli finally gave a sigh of defeat and decided to obey Kion's instructions. She knew that now wasn't exactly the right time to argue with him, especially not in front of Kiara and Kovu and the other Lionesses, whom she guessed would have sided with Kion in their arguments, anyways.

"Alright, fine." Fuli breathed, diverting her gaze away from Kion. "Bunga, hop on my back and _stay quiet_."

Kion watched as Bunga obediently climbed onto her back without uttering a single word before Fuli jumped off the ridge and quietly snuck her way towards Cheezi and Chungu, making sure to stay as close to the grassy ground as possible to remain hidden.

"Come on, let's go," Kion ordered with a whisper once Bunga and Fuli had left. With that, he led the others off the ridge and towards the cave's opening, using the dirt path that went along the outskirts of the fields. It would have been easier and faster for them if they were to simply cut across the fields and straight for the cave, but they had to follow the longer path so as to avoid from crossing Cheezi and Chungu's lines of vision.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ugh… why are we standing out here for so long under the hot Sun? I'm melting over here!" Cheezi grumbled in his distinct high-pitched, squeaky voice as he and Chungu sat in the very middle of the fields.

"Err… 'cause Janja said that we're the bait, and we're supposed to stand out here no matter what happens until he comes back?" Chungu replied, his goofy grin plastered across his snout.

"Oh yeah, that's right! Say, what's a bait?"

"I… do not know! But, Janja did say that we'll get a surprise if we stand out here long enough!"

"Oooh goodie, I like surprises! Hey, what do you think the surprise's gonna be?"

" _HUWEZIII!"_

The two hyenas looked up above their heads, just in time to see Fuli in mid-air with Bunga perched on her back, both of them smirking and only inches away from pouncing on the unsuspecting Outlanders.

"Uh-oh… this can't be good…."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kion stealthily led the rest of the rescue party along the narrow path, all of them crouching low and making sure not to make a single sound as they made their way towards the cave. They paused in the middle of their tracks when they suddenly heard several ear-pitching screams coming from somewhere in the middle of the fields towards their left, to which Kion simply grinned and chuckled slightly when he heard the all-too-familiar panicked screams of Cheezi and Chungu. He assured the rest that there was nothing to worry about and continued leading them towards their destination.

They eventually reached the foot of the steep hill where the cave was located, and Kion made them gather at one side of the cave's entrance.

"Okay, everybody hold this position while I take a look inside," he whispered. He then quietly made his way closer towards the entrance and carefully peeped around it to look inside. From the corner of his eye, he saw the Elephants, all 27 of them, huddled together deep inside the cave, but he couldn't see his parents nor the rest of the hyenas or vultures. Kion frowned and quietly went back to join the others.

"What did you see?" Kovu inquired when Kion got back.

"I found the Elephants inside, but I didn't see Mum and Dad, or the rest of the Outlanders," Kion reported, feeling slightly puzzled.

"So… what do we do now?" asked one of the Lionesses.

Kion paused, deep in thought. "It might be possible that Janja and the vultures are hiding amongst the Elephants and using them as living shields. Now, there's only one entrance to go in and out of the cave, so we have no choice but to storm our way inside. They don't know that we're already here, so at least we have the element of surprise to our advantage."

"So… we just storm our way in, take out any hyenas and vultures that get in our way and then rescue Mum and Dad along with the Elephants?" Kiara asked, raising a brow at him at Kion.

"That's right." Kion grinned at his sister.

"Well, it sounds easy enough," Beshte stated, agreeing with his leader's plan.

"It may sound easy, but like I said earlier, Janja might be hiding among the Elephants. So when you take on the Outlanders, make sure you don't cause or bring harm to any of the Elephants while in combat. Is that understood?"

The rest of the Pridelanders nodded solemnly. Kion then turned towards the cave's entrance once again.

"Alright, on the count of three, we storm our way inside."

The animals crouched low and braced themselves for their incursion.

"One… Two… THREE!"

Right on cue, the group of Pridelanders charged through the cave's entrance with Kion leading at the front.

"Hyenas, surrender yourselves! We've got you surrou- WHAT?!"

Kion and the rest of the rescue party halted in their tracks. What they saw right in front of their eyes convinced them there was absolutely no point in carrying out their assault. They saw for themselves that the Elephants were indeed on their own, and they were all startled when Kion and his team rushed in and caught them by surprise.

"Kion! Oh, thank goodness it's just you!" cried one elderly Elephant, as she rushed towards the Pridelanders.

"Ma Tembo, are you okay? Where are the vultures and hyenas?" Kion asked her, looking around the area at the same time to make sure the Outlanders were not hiding in a different part of the cave.

"They're not here anymore. But we do have Simba and Nala with us right now…"

Ma Tembo turned around and made a gesture, to which several of the other Elephants instantly stepped aside to reveal the King and Queen lying motionless on the floor behind them.

"Mum! Dad!" Kiara cried out as she immediately rushed over to her parents.

The Guard and the rest of the Pridelanders followed and gathered around Simba and Nala. They held their breaths as they watched Kiara nuzzling against Nala while Kion rubbed his maw against Simba's muzzle, both of them struggling to hold back their tears as they tried to wake their parents up. Silence fell as everyone waited for the King and Queen to make a sound or movement or anything to indicate that they were still alive.

Seconds passed and Simba and Nala still showed no signs of life. Tears rolled down Kiara's eyes as she buried her muzzle deeper against her mother's side. "Mum… please don't go…."

Kion let out a long sigh and lowered his head. They were too late. He looked up when he felt Ma Tembo rest her trunk on his shoulder in an effort to console him. "I'm really sorry, Kion, but… they were struck pretty hard when those vultures dropped some very heavy stones onto your parents earlier," she whispered.

Kion breathed, trying to control his anger and dejection. He watched as the Lionesses and the rest of the Guard gathered closer to mourn the loss of their King and Queen, while Kovu went over to Kiara to give her a consoling nuzzle. Now, Kion was even more desperate to find Janja and the rest of the vultures to make them pay for taking his parents away from him.

"Ma Tembo… please follow me, I need to ask you a few questions."

The elderly Elephant nodded and followed Kion as he led her towards the cave's opening and away from the mourning crowd. "Ma Tembo, you mentioned that the hyenas and vultures 'aren't here anymore' when I asked you earlier. Where did they go?"

"Well, in all honesty, Kion, I thought you and your rescue party defeated them outside before all of you entered the cave!"

Kion raised a brow at her, confused. "What makes you think we did that?"

"Well, the leader of the hyenas who calls himself Janja ordered us to stay put in this cave along with Simba and Nala after the vultures err… attacked them. He told us that his entire crew will be waiting outside and will kill anyone who tries to get out of here. After that, he and his crew went outside of the cave and we never saw any of them again."

Kion nodded, starting to understand the situation. "Okay, so… Janja brought you and the rest of your herd into this cave along with my parents, threatened you not to leave the cave, and then they left and you never saw them again. Is that it?"

"Yes, that's correct," Ma Tembo confirmed. Her face fell as she was suddenly overcame with guilt. "I'm really sorry, Kion, I really wished we had done something… I mean, the way those heartless hyenas dragged your parents into the cave was just… just…"

"No, it's okay Ma Tembo, you did the right thing by not engaging with those Outlanders. If you did, you probably won't be here at this very moment talking to me."

The old Elephant nodded and was about to say something else when Fuli suddenly entered through the cave with Bunga riding on her back.

"Bunga, Fuli, where's Cheezi and Chungu?" Kion cried out to them, coming up with the idea of asking the two inferior hyenas of their leader's whereabouts.

"Oh, we knocked them out, so, they won't be waking up anytime soon," Bunga grinned slyly but was later confused when Kion let out an exasperated sigh.

"What's the matter, Kion?" Fuli asked, surprised by her leader's annoyed look. She looked past Kion and Ma Tembo and saw the rest of the Pridelanders gathering around Simba and Nala, the look of despair on their faces told her that Cheezi and Chungu weren't the only ones who won't be waking up anytime soon. "Kion… are your parents still-"

"No. They're not." Kion cut her off before she could finish.

Fuli's face fell when he said this. "Kion, I'm so sorry…"

Bunga looked around and noticed the absence of unconscious hyenas and vultures lying on the floor, which was what he had expected to see when he entered the cave. "Did you at least get Janja and the vultures?" he asked.

"No, we didn't because they weren't in here when we stormed the place," Kion informed him.

Bunga and Fuli exchanged glances, both were surprised by the news.

"So, if they weren't here, where could have they possibly gone to?" asked the Honeybadger.

"Well… that was exactly what I wanted to ask Cheezi and Chungu…" Kion sighed, obviously dismayed.

Fuli glanced at her distraught leader, feeling sorry for him. She was about to give him some words of comfort when she remembered Cheezi and Chungu's conversation just before she and Bunga pounced on them. "Kion… I'm not so sure if this will help, but… just before we knocked out Cheezi and Chungu, I heard them mentioning about how Janja made them stand out there and act as some sort of bait."

Kion stared at her, his eyes widened. "Wait, Janja purposely put those two outside as a bait rather than to keep watch?"

Fuli nodded. "Sounds like it, and I'm guessing that we're the ones who were supposed to fall for it. I don't know, Kion, this whole thing feels weird… it's as if he wanted us to come here to the Elephant Territories for some reason."

Her last sentence seemed to strike a bell for Kion. He excused himself and headed outside the cave to assess the whole situation.

 _Hmmm… what if luring us all the way to the Elephant's Territories were part of Janja's plans,_ he pondered to himself.

He began recollecting the day's events to hopefully help him figure out what sort of devious plan that Janja was plotting. He remembered Zazu stumbling into Pride Rock, bleeding and injured, and how he informed them of how Simba and Nala were lured into the Elephant Territories and were attacked by vultures and hyenas. Then, he himself had wanted to rescue his parents with only the Lion Guard's help, but Kiara and Kovu insisted they bring the whole cavalry with them to rescue Simba and Nala. So in the end, he and the rest of Guard along with Kovu, Kiara and the 14 Lionesses left Pride Rock to head towards the Elephant Territories… leaving only Vitani and three Lioness hunters to defend the Pridelands…

Kion gasped and his eyes widened when he finally came to the realization of Janja's true intentions. "Oh no… VITANI!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Is he badly hurt?" Vitani asked, peering over Rafiki's shoulder as the mandrill began rubbing some strange herbs and ointment onto Zazu's gash while the hornbill laid perfectly still on his back.

"Hmmm… his cuts are rather deep… but luckily, it missed his veins and vital arteries, so he'll be alright," Rafiki informed her as he continued applying the ointment that he created out of several acacia leaves and an old, rotten mango onto Zazu's wounds.

Vitani cringed when she saw for herself just how deep the hornbill's lacerations were, she could have sworn she saw something that looked like the bird's liver through one of the gashes. "Looks like that vulture got you pretty good, Zazu," she commented, trying not to feel sick.

"Oh… you have no idea of the pain that I had to endure when that filthy vulture slashed those ungodly talons against my chest, Vitani," Zazu groaned, shivering slightly at the horrifying memory.

Vitani finally decided that she couldn't stand looking at Zazu's injuries for another second and so she headed towards the other end of the Lair where the other three Lionesses were chatting amongst themselves.

Nuru, the oldest Lioness amongst them, saw Vitani's worried look as she approached, so she flashed the troubled Lioness a comforting smile. "What's wrong, Vitani? Are you still worried about the others?" she asked softly.

Vitani nodded and let out a sigh. "Yeah… I'm just worried if something bad might happen to them..."

"Are you worried about the 'others', or are you worried about Kion?" Asha, whom was the youngest Lioness of Pride Rock and was also a friend of Kiara and Kion, interjected with a smirk.

Vitani raised a brow at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Bahati, a former Outlander Lioness and Vitani's younger subordinate, decided to join in the conversation. "Come on, Vitani! We all know that you've got the hots for the leader of the Lion Guard!" she teased with a grin. "The way you stare at him whenever he's not looking and all those long 'morning walks' that you two have been taking lately… it's no wonder Simba betrothed you two together!"

Vitani snarled and was about to say something offensive when Nuru decided to jump in before things got out of hand. "Okay girls, that's enough," she said sternly before turning towards Vitani and continuing in a much gentler voice. "Vitani, if you're still worried about Kion and the others, why don't you go outside and take a stroll for a while? It'll help clear your mind."

"Fine… probably the best thing to do anyways," Vitani mumbled under her breath and promptly headed for the exit, ignoring the teasing grins that Asha and Bahati threw at her.

She took a deep breath once she was outside the den, breathing in the much needed fresh air of the savanna. She turned to head towards the stepping stones that descended towards the ground below when she suddenly heard the drumming sounds of several sets of paws climbing _up_ of it and slowly getting closer towards where she was currently standing.

 _They can't be back already!_ she thought to herself, thinking that Kion and the rescue party had returned from their mission.

She waited at the top of the steps, expecting to see Kion with the others behind him. A sudden gleam in the sky caught her attention and she tilted her head upwards. Before she could even react, a pair of razor-sharp talons suddenly swooped down from the sky and slammed straight into her, sending the Lioness flying several feet off the ground before landing hard on her back with a grunt.

Vitani was temporarily knocked out from the impact, but was able to regain consciousness seconds later. She slowly opened her eyes and wanted to groan in pain, yet she felt that her voice couldn't leave her throat. She blinked several more times and through her blurred vision, she saw a smirking vulture towering over her. She wanted to let out a warning growl, but once again, nothing came out from her mouth. That was when she suddenly realized that the vulture had wrapped his talons around her throat, choking her and slowly cutting off her air supply.

"Awww… wot's the matt'uh lil' kitty? Volture got'yer throat?" the vulture taunted with a distinct British accent, as Vitani struggled desperately to swipe the massive bird off of her, but the iron grip of his talons around her neck made it impossible for her to even move.

"Now, now, Mzingo, easy on her throat."

The vulture turned around to see a hyena leading the rest of his pack up the steps and heading towards him and Vitani.

"Roight. Sorry 'bout that, Janjuh," Mzingo replied to the hyena, slightly loosening his grip on Vitani's throat and allowed her to catch her breath.

Vitani's chest fluttered up and down violently as she desperately began inhaling the air around her that she was temporarily deprived of. Janja went over and towered over her beside Mzingo.

"Hello there, beautiful," the hyena grinned at the Lioness, who was only able to throw an angry snarl in return.

Vitani's eyes widened when Janja suddenly unsheathed his claws and began using them to gently caress the fur on her jugular. "Shhh… there, there. Don't worry, little kitten… it will all be over quick…"

A blood-curling scream of agony suddenly echoed throughout the Pridelands before it was heinously cut short, causing a long and deafening silence to entail seconds afterwards.

**To be continued…**

**A/n: Okay, I know this chapter was depressing and I'm probably gonna get a lot of hate for this, but I can assure you, things will get better in the next few chapters. In case you're wondering what's to become of Simba, Nala and Vitani for the rest of the story, well… all I can say is that they're three of my most favorite characters in the Lion King movies :) Please do leave a comment on your thoughts of this chapter and stay tuned for the rest of the story.**

**Hope you guys have a wonderful day ahead! :D**

**PS: Please inform me of any grammatical or spelling mistakes, I'll do my best to fix them ASAP. Thanks!**


	6. Defeated

**Chapter 6: Defeated**

Kion promptly left Fuli, Bunga and Ma Tembo and rushed back inside the cave where the other Pridelanders and Elephants were gathered around the motionless bodies of Simba and Nala. "Everyone, we have to go back now! The Pridelands are under attack!" he shouted in a panic, causing everyone there to look up and stare at him in surprise.

"Kion, what on Earth are you talking about?" Kiara asked in a small, broken voice, her face still stained with the tears she shed when she mourned the death of her parents.

"Don't you see what's happening, Kiara? Everything was a set-up! Janja held the Elephants hostage to lure Mum and Dad out here, and now he's used them to lure  _us_ out here so he can attack the Pridelands! Why do you think he put only Cheezi and Chungu to guard these Elephants?!"

The entire cave fell silent once again as the Pridelands Lions digested what their leader has said, murmuring amongst themselves as they discuss the sudden cunningness shown by the hyenas, of whom they've often regarded as nothing more than a bunch of pestering ne'er-do-wells.

"Kion, are you sure that's Janja's plot the whole time?" Kovu asked in a doubtful tone. "Don't you think that sort of plan is a little too... advanced for Janja and his crew? I mean, we all know the hyenas couldn't even capture a crippled gazelle despite their numbers, what makes you think that they'll have the capacity to take over the Pridelands?"

Kion didn't say anything but merely stared coldly at Kovu. "Just take a look beside you, Kovu. If they had the 'capacity' to do  _that_ to Mum and Dad, then we can't afford to doubt their capabilities of attacking the entire Pridelands. Don't forget, they have Mzingo and his parliament of vultures as allies on their side."

The Lionesses nodded and seemed to agree with Kion's reasoning. Kiara stepped forth, still bearing one important question in her mind. "If what you say is true, then we should head back to the Pridelands now. But Kion, what should we do with our parents? Are we really going to leave them here in this cave?"

Kion let out a sigh and gazed at his parents' motionless bodies. "There's no choice, we have to leave them. We'll come back for them and arrange a proper funeral once this is all over. Right now, Vitani and the other three Lionesses are the only ones defending the Pridelands, so we have to be quick and get there before Janja causes further chaos."

"I can help you all get there faster."

The Pridelanders turned to see Ma Tembo entering the cave with Fuli and Bunga at her side. "There's a shortcut not far from here that'll lead you all straight to the Pridelands. My nephew can show you where it is while the rest of my herd will take care of your King and Queen here."

Kion approached the elderly Elephant and gave her a small appreciative smile. "Thank you, Ma Tembo. We're very grateful for your help. We Pridelanders truly are very lucky to have you and your herd as our friends."

"You're very much welcomed, Kion. It's the least we could do for all the trouble you're going through," Ma Tembo replied, returning his smile. She then turned towards a much younger male Elephant, who was standing right beside Simba's body.

"Kijana, please lead them towards the shortcut behind our cave and then come back immediately so you can help me deal with the two unconscious hyenas outside our cave," she instructed to the young Elephant.

Kijana the young Elephant nodded and motioned for the Pridelanders to follow him towards the cave's exit. "This way everyone!"

The rest of the group followed behind him, not wasting any time. Kion was the last to leave the cave, taking one last look at his parents before catching up with the others.

_You won't die in vain, Mum and Dad. We'll get those Outlanders._

Kijana led them south from the cave and towards a miserable, barren plain where no trees grew and strong winds blew the dust from the dirt ground into the animals' faces, causing them to constantly cough and gag as they rushed ahead. After about ten minutes of journeying, they eventually reached the beginning of a massive gorge that was formed between two rocky mountains with only a single dirt path that went through the middle of it.

"This is the shortcut my aunt was talking about," the young Elephant informed them, nudging his head towards the single narrow path. "If you follow that dirt pathway, it should lead you straight to the Pridelands, though you have to pass through Mbali Fields first. Be careful though, sometimes rocks and small boulders from those two mountains will fall onto the track, so you have to be quick and careful."

Kion smile at Kijana, glad that the juvenile Elephant was very informative and helpful. "Thanks, Kijana, we're very grateful for your help. Now you better get back to your herd and help out with your aunt."

Kijana nodded and headed towards the opposite directions, back to the Elephant Territories. "Will do, Kion! Good luck defeating those hyenas and vultures!"

Kion turned around and led the rest of his team through the narrow ravine. "This way, everyone! Stay close and run as fast as you all can go! You don't want to get struck by falling rocks or debris!"

Following his orders, the rest of the Pridelanders and Lion Guard followed close behind him and rushed through the narrow track, keeping an eye out for any falling stones and crumbling debris along the way. Though no-one realized it at first, one of the Lionesses eventually noticed several set of fresh paw prints were imprinted on the dirt path that they were journeying on.

"Kion, look at the ground! I think those paw prints belong to the hyenas!" she cried out to him.

Kion looked closely at the path as he ran, noticing the hyena tracks and even picking up their foul scent that seemed to linger in the air around them. "You're right! If they used this shortcut too, then I'm afraid it's safe to assume that they've already arrive at the Pridelands."

The others remained quiet, fearing that they're already too late to defend their home from the Outlanders. Kion frowned and desperately tried to think of a tactical strategy to delay the hyenas and vultures from causing further chaos in the Pridelands before his team could arrive and fend the Outlanders off themselves. He looked to his left and saw Fuli running beside him while Ono was flying overhead just above her. That's when his mind finally came up with the much-needed tactical plan to help give them the upper hand.

"Fuli! Ono! I've got an idea!" he yelled at them. "Kijana said that we'll be passing through Mbali Fields before reaching the Pridelands, I need you two to speed ahead and gather as many animals over there as you can to help us battle with the Outlanders! Fuli, gather the bigger land animals; rhinos, hippos, buffaloes and so on. Ono, gather your entire flock and prepare them to face off with Mzingo and the Vultures. All of you will then go to Pride Rock and engage with the Outlanders first, and the rest of us will join in the fight the moment we reach the Pridelands! Is that understood?"

"You got it, Kion!" Fuli replied and zoomed ahead down the path while Ono kept up with her in the air.

Kiara ran ahead to match her brother's speed. "Kion, are you seriously involving the civilian animals in all this? They've got no fighting experience whatsoever and you're bringing them into our battle with the hyenas and vultures?! They're just gonna get themselves killed!" she exclaimed with worry.

Kion let out an exasperated sigh and faced her. "Yes, I know that, Kiara. But I'm afraid we're gonna need all the help we can get. Together, they've got the strength, size and numbers, and not to mention Fuli and Ono on their side. I just need all of them to hold off the Outlanders long enough until the rest of us can get there. And besides, there's not much of a choice. If we don't go on with my plan, then the entire Pridelands would've already been overrun and destroyed even before we get there."

Kiara saw the logic behind her brother's tactical strategy but was still rather doubtful of it. "I hope your plan works, Kion. For the civilians' and the Pridelands' sake."

Kion let out a sigh as he ran ahead. " _I hope so too, Kiara."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Pridelander Lions along with the rest of the Guard tore down through the narrow ravine, miraculously without being struck by any falling rocks or debris from the surrounding mountains. It took them about twenty minutes before they made it through the gorge and onto the grassy grounds of the Mbali Fields.

As they raced through the lush greenery, they all noticed that the Fields were completely deserted of the animals that usual grazed and hung around in that particular area, indicating that Fuli and Ono had followed Kion's instructions and were probably already at Pride Rock along with the civilian animals, fending off the Outlanders.

 _"Grandfather Mufasa... if you're still up there looking after me, please give us the strength to defend our home,"_ Kion silently prayed to his grandfather, gazing towards the sky as he and the others rushed through the deserted greenery of Mbali Fields.

After several minutes of running, they could eventually see the very tip of Pride Rock slowly looming ahead within the horizon. Their hearts were racing as they anxiously prepared themselves for what could be the most violent battle they'll have to face in their entire lives.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The moment they descended the last hill of Mbali Fields and into the vast meadows that surrounded Pride Rock, the entire team were all stunned by what they saw. Right in from them, a massive battle had ensued between the Pridelands' animals and Janja's hyena crew. Rhinoceroses and buffaloes clashed head-on with some of the hyenas while several other hyenas were sent flying into the air with a single kick from an enraged zebra. Another group of hyenas were knocked out cold when an entire troop of screeching baboons barraged them with several coconut fruit from the cover of their trees.

Kion grinned, silently thanking Fuli for doing her part. Though he was overwhelmed by the sight of the other Pridelands' animals fighting the hyenas as a unit, he knew they won't last long if his team didn't provide assistance to them. "Everyone! Split up and help these animals fight off the hyenas while I take care of Janja!" he ordered the others.

The others wasted no time to obey his instructions as they all rushed together towards the battlefield. The Lionesses furiously began pouncing and attacking any hyenas who were unlucky enough to cross into their paths while Beshte used his enormous body to ram through a group of hyenas who were about to clash with several zebras.

"Twende Kiboko!" the hippopotamus cried out his signature catchphrase as he watched the hyenas lay defeated in a heap and were immediately surrounded by the entire herd of angry zebras.

Meanwhile, Kion was having a rather tough time navigating through the battlefield, desperately trying to locate the elusive Janja. A couple of hyenas tried to ambush him along the way, but the Lion managed to effortlessly paw-swipe the two Outsiders away, sending them crashing into several nearby Lionesses. Kion promptly left the scene and continued navigating through the meadow as screams from the two hyenas echoed behind him before they were cut off just a few seconds afterwards.

Everywhere he looked, Kion could see the hyenas were losing to the Pridelands' animals, giving him hope that they stand a strong chance of defeating and getting rid of the Outlanders from the Pridelands once and for all. But his hopes were unfortunately short-lived when he heard several cawing noises that echoed across the skies above the battlefield. Kion looked up and saw Mzingo and his entire vulture parliament taking off from Pride Rock and swooping down towards the battlefield below, using their talons to claw and slash at the Lionesses and every other animal who were hostile towards the hyenas. Roars of agony could be heard from the wounded Lionesses who came under heavy fire from the vultures' aerial attack.

During the midst of the chaos, Kion suddenly caught sight of Kiara, who had successfully pinned down a defeated hyena to the ground but was unaware of a vulture that was rapidly swooping down straight towards her. "KIARA! BEHIND Y-"

Before he could finish his warning, another vulture had lunged itself straight towards him, knocking him off his paws and onto his back. Kion groaned in pain and tried to swipe the vulture off of him in order to get back on his fours, but the winged predator had wrapped his talons tightly around the Lion's neck, pinning him to the ground and preventing him from being able to move. Kion snarled angrily when he realized that the vulture was none other than Mzingo himself.

"Well, well, well... wot 'ave we got 'ere?" the vulture smirked at the struggling Kion, tightening his talons around the Lion's neck. "You Lions never cease to amuse me with your- ACK!"

Mzingo's taunting was cut short when a Lioness leaped into the air and pounced on the Outlander, knocking him off of Kion and pinning him to the ground. "What's the matter, Mzingo?  _Lioness got 'yer throat_?" Kion heard her sardonically mimic the vulture's British accent as she gripped her claws tightly around Mzingo's slender neck.

"Vitani?!" Kion cried out in surprise, recognizing the Lioness' voice. Vitani looked over her shoulder to face him. Kion let out a gasp and was momentarily shocked when he saw the three bloodied scars that slashed linearly across her left eye, all the way downwards toward her muzzle and ending just above her upper lip.

"It's okay, Kion, I'm alright," Vitani assured him in a soft voice when she saw him staring at her with a look of horror in his eyes. "I'll handle Mzingo. You do what you have to do."

Kion didn't want to leave her behind but he knew he had to or he'll risk losing Janja. He gave her a brief nod before getting up and continuing on his way, passing by Kiara and Kovu along the way as they both pinned down the vulture that tried to swoop down towards Kiara earlier.

As the battle raged on, it became apparent that victory seemed to have shifted towards the Outsiders, as many of the Prideland's Lions and other animals were badly wounded as a result of the Vultures' aerial attack. Kion's instincts were on full alert as he searched for his arch-enemy amidst the chaos.

"Kion! Over here!" The Lion heard a familiar feminine voice calling out to him.

"Fuli!" Kion cried out as the Cheetah quickly approached him. "Have you seen Janja?!"

"Yeah, I have! I saw him running back towards the Mbali Fields!"

"Okay, then that's where we're going! We can't let him- LOOK OUT!"

Catching Fuli unaware, a vulture had attempted to swoop down towards her with every intention to sink his talons into her flesh in an aerial attack, but Kion spotted him and was able to paw-swipe at the winged predator before he got too close to Fuli.

Fuli gasped in surprise when she saw the grounded vulture lay unconscious just a few feet away from her. Had Kion not spotted the winged Outlander, she would have been killed for sure. "Thanks for that, Kion." She thanked him in a small voice and flashed him an appreciative smile.

"Don't mention it. Now come on, we have to find Janja!"

The pair had to turn back and race towards the Mbali Fields, dodging and fending off any hyenas and vultures that tried to get in their way. "Kion, the vultures are taking out the Lionesses one by one! We can't hold the Outsiders off much longer!" Fuli informed him as they passed by several of the downed Lionesses.

"Where's Ono?! We need him to take care of those vultures!" Kion responded, slightly worried that something bad had happened to the Egret before he could bring in the reinforcements.

As if on cue, several squawking noises could be heard echoing across the skies as hundreds of Egrets swooped down into the battlefield. "Incomiiiinnngggg!" Ono shouted in his raspy voice as he and the rest of his flock began flanking the Outsiders, grounding several hostile vultures and even pecking and driving off the hyenas along the way. The Pridelands' animals cheered as they watched the vultures fell off one-by-one from the skies after succumbing from the Egrets' offensive.

"Good job, Ono! You literally saved all our lives!" Kion complemented him with a grin.

"No problem, Kion! We'll take care of the Outlanders, you two go ahead and find Janja!" Ono replied as he hovered above, beaming at his leader with Pride.

Just then, Kion caught sight of a particular hyena running towards Mbali Fields and away from the battlefield.

"JANJA!" he yelled at the hyena before he and Fuli chased after him.

Janja peered over his shoulder and let out an exasperated growl when he saw the felines running after him. "Grrrr.... not you two!" he snarled before picking up his speed.

The three of them had left the battlefields and were already ascending the hill that led back to Mbali Fields. "You're not getting away, Janja!" Fuli called out, overtaking Kion and zooming ahead to get closer to the hyena.

Janja looked behind again and saw the Cheetah gaining on him. "Yeah.... we'll... we'll see about that!" he panted, the steep ascend up the hill was slowly draining what little energy he had left.

Behind him, Fuli had managed to catch up and was only a few feet away from being close enough to pounce on the hyena. "I've you got now!" she smirked.

But before the Cheetah could make her move and lunge at him, a sudden roar erupted from the very top of the hill, halting Janja and both his pursuers right in their tracks. Down below, the battling Pridelanders and Outsiders all paused in shocked when they heard the massive roar that resonated across the battlefield and all around Pride Rock.

Kion gasped and his jaw dropped when he saw two familiar Lions standing at the very peak of the hill and staring solemnly at the scene below them. "Mum.... Dad?!"

The Lion Guard and the rest of the Pridelands' animals were completely shocked to see Simba and Nala standing on top of the hill, both very much alive and appeared to be very angry at the scene of chaos that unfolded right in front of them.

Simba took one step forth and grimly glowered at the cowering hyena in front of him. "Hello, Janja." The mighty King said in a dangerously calm voice.

Janja was dumbfounded and completely frozen with shock as a scowling Simba along with an equally furious Nala approached him. "S-S-Si-Simba?!" was all he could stutter as both King and Queen of the Pridelands towered over him.

"How'd you two... how'd you two surviv- WHOOOOAAAHHH!"

Before Janja could finish his sentence, Simba delivered a powerful head-butt straight into his flanks in a fit of rage, sending the hyena flying off from the hill before landing hard on all the defeated vultures and his hyena cronies that lay in a massive heap.

The King and Queen descended from the hill and approached the pile of defeated Outsiders with Kion and Fuli following behind them. The Pridelands' animals all bowed down respectfully at the Royal Family as they walked past, eventhough most of them were injured during the intense battle. Simba calmly walked towards the Outlanders and observed intently at the defeated look on their faces.

"Janja. For many years, you and your cronies have consistently invaded and intruded our territories despite our numerous warnings not to do so," Simba spoke solemnly at the hyena and the rest of the Outsiders. "And throughout those years, the Lion Guard has had to chase you off repeatedly after your failed attempts to create havoc in our beloved Pridelands. I think they were being too lenient by simply letting you all go once you've retreated back to your territories in the Outlands. But today, I'm not letting you all off the hook that easily. Since you've conspired to kill me and my wife and then take over the Pridelands, both of which you've failed miserably to accomplish by the way, I think it's clear to everyone that there's only one solution to make sure that we won't be bothered by you and your cronies in the future. Kion!"

The hyenas and vultures all held their breaths as they watched Kion stepped forth towards them while the other animals began taking cover behind him, away from the line of fire. Janja's heart sank to the deepest pit as he instantly figured out what the leader of the Lion Guard was about to do. Kion smirked as unsheathed his claws and sank them into the ground, lifting his chin up and narrowing his eyes onto his target. Everyone noticed that several dark clouds had formed overhead and mysteriously began taking shape to form an entire pride of twenty different lions. Before the Outsiders could even react, Kion unleashed a much powerful version of the Roar of the Elders, as the hyenas and vultures were instantly swept off from the ground and were sent flying thousands of feet up into the air as if they were nothing more than mere pollen dust in the wind.

**To be continued...**

**A/n: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter will explain Simba and Nala's sudden 'resurrection' and will also primarily be focused on scenes between Kion and Fuli, so stay tuned. Also, please comment your thoughts on this chapter, I'd really appreciate that :) Hope y'all have a great day ahead!**


	7. Confessions

**Chapter 7: Confessions**

Dusk had come and went in the Pridelands as the sun sank below the horizon and the subtle hues of the orange sky slowly turned to the cooler ones of night. The aftermath of the furious battle between the Outsiders and the Pridelanders scarred the savanna surrounding Pride Rock, as blood and feathers stained and littered everywhere across the greenery. Despite the gory scene that plagued the once-brilliant scenery of the African savanna, it was a miracle there weren't many fatalities as a result of the vicious battle, save for a trio of unlucky hyenas who were slain during the midst of the skirmish.

Once Kion roared away the Outsiders, Simba thanked the civilian animals for their bravery and assisting the Lion Guard in defending the Pridelands, he even announced that a special gathering will take place the following day to celebrate their well-deserved victory against Janja and the rest of the Outlanders. But tonight, the Lions of the Pridelands along with the Lion Guard were having their own gathering inside Pride Rock.

Simba and Nala along with Kion, Kiara and Kovu stood over a stone ledge that overlooked the entire den where the Lionesses and the rest of the Guard were gathered down below. Simba stepped forth and began addressing his speech to his subjects:

"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone here for finding the time to attend this rather impromptu meeting here in Pride Rock. I know that now is usually the time when we all would usually rest and sleep and prepare ourselves for the day ahead, but I feel that tonight's agenda could not be put off to tomorrow or anytime later."

The Lionesses and the Guard nodded with acknowledgement, many were accompanied with warm smiles as all of them were more than willing to sacrifice their time and sleep for their King and Queen, despite their injuries.

"As we all know, Nala and myself were ambushed by the troop of rogue Outlanders while we were at the Elephant Territories, which, according to Kion, was part of the devious scheme orchestrated by Janja to take over the Pridelands. Yet, despite our absence and your assumptions that Nala and I were dead, all of you fought hard and defended our home, and for that you have my utmost gratitude. I'm very proud of each and every one of you."

The Royal Family beamed as the audience below them cheered at their King's complements. They reverted back to silence when Simba continued;

"The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are; but it is the one most consistent with our character and courage as Pridelanders. The cost of freedom is always high, but we Pridelanders have always paid it. And the one path we shall never choose, that is the path of surrender or submission. Our goal was not the victory of might, but the vindication of right; not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom. And with what happened today, I believe it is safe to say that our goal was finally achieved; we have won the war against the Outsiders and peace is restored to the Pridelands, her citizens once again have the freedom to continue on with their respective journeys in the Circle of Life."

Murmurs and nods of agreement were exchanged amongst the Lionesses as Simba finally concluded his speech;

"And, as an act of gratitude, I have planned a little feast to celebrate our victory today. Vitani?"

Their attentions were shifted to the den's opening where Vitani and two other Lionesses dragged in the three dead carcasses of the hyenas that were slain earlier during the battle earlier.

"Okay, I know it's not really nice to eat the dead bodies of the enemies that you defeated in a war… but hey, it's 'cause of them we had to skip lunch and dinner just to defend the Pridelands. It is the Circle of Life, after all." Vitani sardonically joked while the other Lionesses grinned at her dark humor.

"Okay, jokes aside… you may all dig in. Go ahead, you all deserved it," Simba announced to them with a warm smile, to which his subjects bowed respectfully to him before crowding around and feasting on the carcasses.

The King then turned his attention to the other side of the den where the rest of the Lion Guard (including Fuli) stood and watched the Lionesses ate. Simba promptly hopped off from the ledge and approached them. "Bunga, Ono and Beshte, if you head down to the Lair of the Guard, you will find that I've arranged a delicious meal of various types of grubs and some fish for you all to eat before going back to your respective homes," he informed them, smiling as he did.

"Whoah, you actually hunted the grubs and fish specially for us, Your Highness?" Bunga gleefully asked him with widened eyes.

"Haha, no Bunga, it wasn't me. I asked Timon and Pumbaa to hunt the grubs for you and Ono while two of the Lionesses hunted the fish for Beshte. Oh, and speaking of your uncles, Bunga, they're actually waiting for you in the Lair right now."

"Alright! Thanks so much for your generous offer, Your Majesty!" Bunga exclaimed excitedly before he darted off towards the exit without saying another word.

Unlike the Honeybadger, Beshte and Ono remembered to politely bow to their King before excusing themselves, though Simba didn't really mind Bunga rashness considering he was already used to the Honeybadger's demeanours. He then turned his attention towards Fuli, who had been gazing at the Lionesses the whole time in deep thought and didn't seem to realize her comrades had already left.

"Fuli, you're not eating?" Simba asked, snapping Fuli out from her train of thoughts.

"What… oh, it's okay, Your Majesty, I err… I'm not feeling hungry right now," Fuli politely replied to him, bearing an automatic smile. "If I may ask for your permission, Your Higness, I err… would like to excuse myself and head back to my usual sleeping grounds."

"Oh… so soon?" Simba exclaimed, surprised that the usually energetic Cheetah was already tired while the night was still young.

"Yeah… I'm a little worn out from everything that happened today and I should probably rest and get ready for tomorrow's activities."

From her tone of voice, Simba sensed that there were other reasons why the young Cheetah wanted to excuse herself from Pride Rock, though he didn't want to pressure her by asking too many questions. "Alright, Fuli, you may go. But if you change your mind and wish to join us for the night, we're always more than happy to welcome you here."

"Thank you, Your Highness, but that won't be necessary." Fuli simply replied and quickly made her way to the exit before disappearing into the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kovu was standing next to Kiara on the ledge when he noticed his sister was simply standing at a corner, watching the other Lionesses eat. He pardoned himself from Kiara and hopped off from the ledge before walking towards Vitani.

"Hey, sis. You okay? How come you're not eating?" he softly asked as his sister turned to face towards him.

"Well… I think the others deserve to eat first, they did most of the fighting after all," Vitani said, watching the other Lionesses indulge in the meat. "You know, I can't help but feel it's a miracle that all of us actually made it back alive from the battle with the Outsiders."

Vitani's condescending seemed to hit a realization for Kovu, as he got closer to his sister and gave her an unexpected brotherly nuzzle. "You know, there was a moment back when we were at the Elephant Territories and Kion had just figured out the hyenas' plan to attack Pride Rock, I actually felt concerned about you, you know… I… I was afraid that they'll harm you and all… and… I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you, sis."

His voice was shaky and he couldn't hold back his tears as he spoke his last sentence. Vitani, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised by her brother's words and sudden display of affection for her. But rather than directly admit of being touched by his confession, she decided to tease Kovu for his rare display of vulnerability.

"Wow, Kovu, you were actually concerned about me?" Vitani gasped, pretending to be shocked. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

Kovu let out a disgruntled sigh and rolled his eyes at her. "You know 'Tani, even though I love you as my sister, there are many times I've wondered exactly what horrible things Mother did in her past life to end up accidentally giving birth to you," he said, maintaining an unamused look at his sister.

"Relax, you little furball, I was just joking," Vitani replied good-humouredly before returning her brother's embrace with a contented smile, nuzzling comfortably against his side.

Though he was still very annoyed with her, Kovu eventually found it in his heart to forget Vitani's snarky remark and just enjoy the brother-sister moment that they shared with each other. That was when he noticed the three scars that were slashed across her left eye. "Hey, how's your scar? You gonna be okay?"

"It still hurts like Hell, but I'll be alright," she assured him in a rather indignant tone of voice.

"Well on the bright side, at least now you look more alike like me than you were before," Kovu joked with a grin, using his paw to trace the healed scar that snaked across his left eye that Zira gave him many moons ago.

"Ugh, don't remind me. The last thing I need right now is to be reminded that I'm sharing the same look as your hideous face." Vitani replied, grinning smugly as she did.

Kovu let out a sigh, wishing he could get back at his sister, but he knew they could keep on going like this till the end of the world unless one of them admitted defeat. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, sis."

Vitani smirked in triumph before giving Kovu a long, unexpected lick on his muzzle, just for the sake of embarrassing him in front of the other Lionesses. "As much as I'm enjoying making your life miserable, I need to catch up on some sleep, so… I'll see you tomorrow morning, you little furball," Vitani said, chuckling as she teasingly ruffled her brother's mane, just like she used to do back when they were cubs.

"Heh, I love you, too, sis," Kovu said, managing to force himself a smile at his sister before excusing himself to return back to Kiara.

Vitani turned and started heading towards her usual spot at the furthest corner of the den, more than eager to finally get some rest. Along the way, she passed by the ledge where she saw Kion, standing at the very edge and his eyes were fixed at the den's opening, where Fuli had left just minutes ago. From his look of discontentment, Vitani knew that whatever was troubling Kion had to do something with his Cheetah comrade. Her lips curved downwards into a small frown, she couldn't bare to see Kion in such a depressed state. With a sigh, she changed course and began walking towards Simba, meaning to discuss a few things with His Royal Highness in order to help out her friend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kion remained glued to the ledge, his eyes trailing off towards the exit where he last saw Fuli. For some reason, her abrupt departure had left him feeling somewhat disheartened and he couldn't figure out why. Was it because she didn't bother saying her goodbye to him before leaving? No, that can't be it, there were many times she had done so over the years when she felt the need to hurry back to her usual sleeping grounds whenever they finished their daily patrol late… so, why did it feel so… hurtful this time?

His mind began to reflect his interaction with her during the day. He remembered working together with Fuli to pull that gazelle from the quick sand in the Desert Plains that morning, they got along just fine. Then on their way back to Pride Rock, he complemented her for her actions and she returned it with an affectionate nuzzle to his neck, no problem there. So where did it go wrong? He then remembered their little argument at the Elephant Territories, when they were planning to storm the cave. She had wanted to join him and the others to save Simba and Nala, but he insisted for her to do the less riskier task of taking out Cheezi and Chungu, and even gave her a threatening glare when she refused to do so.

Wait, did he actually threatened her? Did he really stooped a new low as to intimidate a female, whom happened to be his own best friend? Kion's ears folded at the sudden thought. He couldn't understand, sure, like any pair of friends, they do sometimes argue and disagree with each other from time to time, but it never once reached to the point where he actually domineered her. So, why was he so bitter towards her that day? His mind then brought him to the time when he and Fuli were at the top of Pride Rock, just an hour before they left the Pridelands to save his parents. He recalled how he had proposed to her and asked for her paw in marriage, yet she turned him down. He could have sworn he saw the gleam in her eyes that told him she was about to say 'yes', so… why did she reject him in the end?

A discontented sigh escaped his lips when he remembered that sorrowful moment. He just wished that everything that had happened that day was all just a bad dream and he would soon wake up to see the sun rising and seeing Fuli smiling at him and telling him that the rest of the Guard were ready for the Morning Patrol.

"Kion, are you okay?"

The Lion gasped and spun around to see Kiara approaching him and joining him by his side. "Yeah, I'm alright." He said it with such a heavy heart, it couldn't be more obvious to her that he wasn't telling the truth.

"Yeah… sure you are," Kiara said in disbelief, giving him a teasing nudge to his side. She saw that his gaze was still fixed to the den's opening where he last saw Fuli.

"Still thinking about her?"

Kion nodded once, not bothering to face her. "Am I supposed to be thinking about someone else?" he asked rhetorically.

Kiara paused, debating whether she should proceed with her next question. "Hey err… you told me you were about to 'pop the question' to her just before we left the Pridelands, so… did you ask her?"

His ears folded as he let out a long, tired sigh. "Yeah… I did."

"And…?"

"She turned me down." Kion said, his voice was shaky and tears began streaming down from his eyes.

Kiara's face fell, wishing now that she didn't ask him her question. "I'm- I'm so sorry, Kion," she softly apologized, giving him a comforting nuzzle against his neck. Her brother gave in to her display of compassion and tilted his head and resting it against her muzzle, too upset to say anything else.

"Look… I know it's not my place to ask this, but… did you at least find out why she said 'no'?"

"No… I didn't get the chance to."

"Okay… then you should go out there now and ask her."

Kion couldn't help but scoff at such a suggestion. "What's the point, Kiara? She already made up her mind, and her answer is 'no'."

"'What's the point?' Kion, I may not be as close to Fuli more than you are with her, but even I know for a fact that she's a reasonable friend who wouldn't keep you guessing whenever something goes wrong between you two. I'm very sure she has her reasons for saying no, it could be something about you that you lack or needs improving. And if you just ask her and improve yourself… who knows? She might actually say yes to you on your second try."

Kion raised a brow and began considering her advice. "I still don't see the point. Even if she says 'yes' to me, I'm still betrothed to Vitani. I don't think Dad will be too happy if told him I plan on marrying Fuli."

"Oh, right." Kiara said, just remembering her brother's betrothal. "Look, I know it seems that everything is going against you right now, Kion, but… you just need to believe; love will find a way. If love can work its magic and bring me together with Kovu, I'm very sure it'll happen again to bring you together with Fuli."

Kion's face brightened once again as Kiara's words of encouragement seemed to have lifted his spirits. "Thanks for that, Kiara. I really do hope things will work between me and Fuli. But, even if it doesn't… well, I just want you to know that whatever it is, I really appreciate you trying to help me out. I might sound lame for saying this, but… eventhough there were times I've resented you and said some things to you that I didn't really mean to say… well, there were also many times I looked up to you and just being grateful that I have you as my big sister. This is actually one of those times again, so… yeah, thanks for looking out for me, sis."

Kiara couldn't stop herself from beaming ear-to-ear after hearing his heartfelt confession, not once had she ever expected her headstrong brother would admit his appreciation for her of being the older sibling. "You're more than welcomed, Kion. You're my little brother, I'd do anything to protect you and help you whenever I can," she said warmly with an equally affectionate smile, putting her paw across his shoulders and sharing a moment to nuzzle with her brother.

"Well, you two seem to be enjoying each other's company."

The two siblings pulled away from each other and turned around to see their mother smiling warmly at them. "Hi, mom." Kion politely greeted her while managing to return a smile.

"Kiara. Kion." Nala nodded at both her children before focusing her attention solely on her son. "Kion, your father would like to have a word with you in private at the back of the den. He said he wanted to… have a little word with you."

Kion's heart began pounding heavily against his chest. He couldn't explain why, but something in his gut told him that his father wasn't calling for him just to have a friendly chat.

"Don't worry, son. I'll be with you and your father the entire time, so… everything will be alright," her mother continued in a softer tone.

Somehow, Kion doubted her. If everything was going to turn out alright, why was there the need for her to even mention about it? "Um… yeah, sure, mum!" Kion replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. Together, Kion and his mum left Kiara and began heading towards the corner at the back of the den, which was designated as Simba and Nala's personal sleeping quarters. Kion looked one last time over his shoulder to see Kiara flashing him an assuring smile before mouthing "Good luck!" to him. Kion gulped and swallowed the lump in his throat. For some reason, he felt that he was going to need all the luck in the world when he faces his father after this.

**To be continued…**

**A/n: Okay, while the whole theme for this story is about the love between two lovers (Kion and Fuli), I wrote this chapter in appreciation to the love that exists between family members and the special bond that make them inseparable (in this case, brothers and sisters). Don't worry, next chapter will be all about Kion and Fuli, and also a brief (I repeat, brief) moment between Kion and Vitani as well. I actually wrote this chapter as a dedication to my younger sister who's celebrating her 11th birthday today. To my lil' sis, eventhough you have a tendency to make my life miserable and forcing me to continuously resist the urge of wanting to choke the life out of you, you're still the only person I know who went thru hell and back just to make feel better after a long, sh**ty day, and I love you for that. Happy birthday, lil' sis.**

**P/s: Simba's speech was actually based on an American president's speech in real life. Can you guess which one? Also, please don't forget to comment on your thoughts, I'd gladly appreciate it :)**


	8. The Peace the Evening Brings

**Chapter 8: The Peace the Evening Brings**

**A/n: Finally, the last chapter! I'll let you guys read first and I'll leave the rest of the author's note at the end of the story. Please enjoy :)**

Kion followed behind Nala as she led her son to the corner where she and Simba usually slept. When they arrived, Simba was already there, sitting on his haunches and observing some paintings on the wall, which were all finger-painted by Rafiki using dried fruits and coconut sap some time ago. The paintings all portrayed the past Kings and Queens of the Pridelands, there were seven generations of them in total. There was one similarity that all seven generations of Royals shared besides being the rulers of the Pridelands; they were all in fact, betrothed to each other.

As Zazu had once pointed out to Simba, betrothals were an immediate custom that must be adhered to by each generation of Rulers, whether they like it or not. Presently, Simba was observing the small finger painting of him and Nala, standing together on top of Pride Rock. He smiled, remembering his union with Nala was officiated on the same day that the painting was painted on the wall.

"Simba, our son is here to see you."

He turned around to see a grinning Nala walking towards him with Kion by her side, who was noticeably struggling to muster up a polite smile as he faced his father.

"Ah, there you are, Kion. I've been waiting for you." Simba said, sensing Kion's nervousness and getting the cheeky idea to say it in a solemn voice to intentionally intimidate his son, solely for the purpose of his own amusement.

"Hey, Dad. Err... Mum said you wanted to have a word with me?" Kion asked in a small voice, as his father gazed at him with an expressionless look on his muzzle.

"Yes, that's right, Kion, there's a few things I'd like to discuss with you. Please, sit down next to me."

Kion gulped and obediently obliged him, sitting on his haunches next to his father while Nala started moving away towards the other end of the corner, just far enough to observe the impromptu meeting while out of ear-shot.

"First off, Kion, I'd like to thank you for your heroic efforts during the battle with the Outsiders," Simba began with a subtle smile, though his voice remained just as solemn. "Your quick-thinking and leadership skills were crucial in our victory against those hyenas and vultures, it's the reason why the Pridelands is still our home and not overrun by the Outsiders. And for that, I want you to know that both your Mum and I are very proud of you, son."

Kion broke out a relieved smile, suddenly thinking that his meeting with his father wasn't going to turn out as bad as he thought it would. But it was short-lived though, as Simba's smile immediately disappeared and the look of seriousness once again returned to his muzzle.

"Now, to the main issue," Simba continued, his gaze pierced into Kion's eyes. "I haven't made the official announcement yet, but I heard you already found out that I betrothed you with Vitani. Is this true?"

"Yes, Dad." Kion replied.

"Okay. So, how do you feel about your betrothal?"

Kion's heart began pounding harder against his chest, he wasn't sure if Simba was simply asking for a personal opinion or he purposely asked the question because he already knew that he didn't like his father's idea of betrothing him with Vitani.

"Well, I err... I'm very honoured by your decision to betroth me and Vitani togeth-"

"The truth, Kion. I want to hear nothing but the truth."

Kion blinked, slightly taken aback. Okay, now he was very sure that his father wasn't asking for a personal opinion. He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "Okay, here goes. Dad, I have always been loyal to you and I've always respected your every decision. But... I'm afraid this is the only time where I have to go against your orders. I... I do not wish to be betrothed to Vitani."

"And why is that, son?" Simba asked, his voice remained dangerously calm.

Kion swallowed hard and mustered up the courage to look into his father's eyes. "Because, Dad... I'm in love with someone else. She's my best friend, and we grew up together... and, I've known her for a very long time, much longer than Vitani, and... she's the one I'd like to be my mate."

"I see. And who's this 'someone' that you're talking about?"

"It's Fuli." Kion shut his eyes and prepared himself for his father's angry outburst. He wouldn't be surprised if Simba decided to exile him after this, or maybe even shred him to pieces then and there. The old King was infamously known to be very violent whenever he got particularly mad at something or someone, and Kion was sure his father wouldn't hesitate to do the same to his own son. Oh well, if he did end up being torn to pieces at his father's paw, at least he died trying.

"Alright, if that's what you want, so be it. I just need to call off your betrothal, and you'll have my blessings to go after Fuli. Congratulations, son."

Kion was about to say something to defend his decision when he immediately realized what his father had just said. Did he hear him correctly, or were his ears deceiving him? "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, you have my blessings and you may marry Fuli, right after I call off your betrothal." Simba repeated in a slightly louder tone.

Kion's jaw dropped and he began spilling out mindless drivel, as if he had lost his ability to speak, completely shocked by his father's words. "I... I'm err... I... I- I don't understand... aren't you mad at me?" he finally blurted out after spewing out a long string of incomprehensible stutters.

By now, Simba could no longer keep up with his charade after seeing the look of bewilderment on his son's face. The old King broke out into such a hearty laughter that it caused poor Kion to feel even more confused than ever.

"Kion! Why in the Pridelands would I be mad at you? I can't possibly penalize you just because you're in love with someone else!" Simba chortled, tears forming in his eyes from laughing too much.

Kion looked to his left and saw his mother approaching them, chuckling to herself along the way. "That's right, son. The last thing we want to do is force you into a marriage with someone that hasn't won your heart," Nala warmly said, playfully ruffling her son's mane at the same time.

After seeing both his parents were in such a jovial mood, Kion himself broke out a wide grin, relieved that things didn't go down south with the meeting. "Well... I'm glad you're taking this lightly, Dad, but... I'm just wondering, wouldn't you be going against the royal tradition by calling off the betrothal and allowing me to marry Fuli?"

Simba merely replied by letting out a chuckle before turning around to face the wall behind him. "Kion, do you see this painting over here?" he asked, pointing to a particular painting that was clearly meant to depict Kiara and Kovu standing over the top of Pride Rock. "Let me tell you something, Kion. For years, the Royal tradition of betrothals have been practiced by all the Kings and Queens of the Pridelands, from your ancestors to myself and your mum. But when I allowed your sister to marry Kovu, I not only managed to unite our Pride with the Outsider Lionesses, but I also ended the royal tradition of having to betroth my own children."

Kion nodded, slowly understanding the entire situation. But even after his father's explanation, there was still one obvious question that needed to be answered. "Okay, so... why did you betrothed me with Vitani in the first place, Dad?"

"Well... that's actually a mistake on my part," Simba admitted with a sigh. "You see, your mother and I were a little worried about you not finding a mate for yourself."

"You were?" Kion asked in surprise. This was their first time they've admitted to actually being concern over his romantic life.

"I'm afraid so, son," Nala confirmed, bearing a nervous smile. "After Kiara got married to Kovu, we were wondering if you had found your significant other yet."

"That's right." Simba continued. "We noticed you weren't showing much interest with the Lionesses, not even Asha, your former playmate you used to play with when you were cubs. And when Vitani arrived and became part of our pride, we couldn't help but notice that both of you seemed to have... an instant liking with each other, what with all the morning strolls and the hearty laughs that you two share together..."

"Hold on, you betrothed me and Vitani together just because we enjoyed each other's company?" Kion asked, throwing a questioning look at his father.

"Well... like I said, we were concerned about you, Kion." Simba grinned at him. "But I have to admit, I should have inquired further and asked the both of you first before betrothing you two together... and for that, I apologize to you."

"It's okay, Dad, I err... I can't really be mad at you and Mum for being concerned about me," Kion laughed, thankful that everything turned out well between him and his parents.

"Glad to hear it!" Nala responded, giving her son a brief nuzzle against his side. "Now you better run after Fuli and tell her the news, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it."

"I hope she will!" Kion briefly responded, giving both his parents a quick nuzzle before turning to head for the exit. "Thanks again for everything, Mum, Dad!"

"Good luck, son!" Simba called out after him before he disappeared from his sight.

**XXXXXXXX**

Kion tore past the den's common area, where he passed by the other Lionesses who had just finished eating their hearty meal, though he didn't see his sister nor Kovu and Vitani anywhere. Though he promptly left the den's opening and started heading for the stone-steps that descended towards the bottom of Pride Rock.

" _Pssst! Kion!_ "

Before he could land a paw on the first stepping-stone, he heard a feminine voice hissing his name behind him. Despite the darkness of the night, he could see the silhouette of a Lioness who had been lurking around the shadows just outside the den's opening.

"Vitani? Is that you?" Kion called out, recognizing the Lioness's voice.

Vitani stepped forth from the shadows and revealed herself to her friend. "Hey, Kion," she coolly said, bearing a subtle smirk on her maw.

"Hey. What were you doing hiding in the shadows?" Kion inquired, raising a brow at her.

"Well... I thought of having a word with you first before you go after Fuli."

"Sure, I don't mind sparing a moment to... wait how did you know I was about to meet with Fuli?"

Vitani merely laughed at the confused look on Kion's face before giving him a teasing grin. "The same way I know that you just had a little discussion with Simba and that he said he's gonna call off our betrothal with each other!"

Kion stared at the Lioness with his mouth gaped open, completely stupefied. That was when he put two and two together and finally realized what was going on. "Wait, hold on. Are you telling me that you're the one who convinced my dad to call off our betrothal?!"

Vitani took the moment to savour his look of utter bewilderment, which she found to be very amusing, before giving him a slow nod. "Yeah, that's right, it was me. It wasn't easy though, your father was a little upset when I told him the truth about everything, but I reasoned with him that you deserve to be married to the person you're truly in love with. It took a little more convincing, but he finally accepted my reasoning and told me he was calling off our betrothal, that is, after he's talked to you about it."

After hearing her entire explanation, everything became crystal clear for Kion and he now completely understood the whole situation. For a moment, he was very grateful for all the effort Vitani had put up to help him, but after thinking back what she had just said, his face fell as an overriding sense of guilt befell on him.

"Vitani, I... I'm very grateful to you for helping me in this, but... I just hope that me being with Fuli won't change anything between us. I mean... I still love you and-"

"And I love you too, Kion." Vitani softly said, moving closer towards him until their muzzles were only several inches apart. "We both love each other, but, at the same time... we both know that the kind of love that we have for each other isn't the same as the one that you have for Fuli."

Kion heaved a long and heavy sigh, what she said was completely true. And after hearing her saying it in her own words, he didn't trust himself to say another word without causing her to feel dejected. Vitani, however, could more or less guess what was going on his mind judging by the look of guilt on his face, so she proceeded give her friend a comforting nuzzle to his neck, slightly taking him aback.

"Kion, you don't have to worry about me. You've always been a good friend to me, and I'll always love you for that. That's why I'm supporting you in your effort to be united with Fuli. Trust me, nothing will make me happier than seeing my friend finally getting married to the person he loves most."

For the second time that night, Kion was left aghast and a complete loss for words. Vitani's heartfelt confession made him ever so grateful for having her as one of his closest friends. "Wow... I- I'm- I'm sorry, I- I- I just... don't know what to say, 'Tani, I mean-"

"Then don't say anything." She grinned at him with a somewhat teasing look on her face. "You don't have to say or do anything for me, Kion. I did what any friend would have done. The only thing I expect _you_ to do, is getting off your butt and going after Fuli and confessing your love for her while the night is still young."

Kion couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her witty, yet encouraging, remark. "Alright, alright, I will. But first, I err... I just want to thank you for helping me out with my dad. I mean... you didn't have to, but you did... and... and for that, I just want to let you know that I'm very grateful, for your help I mean, and uh... and also... for having you as my friend."

The smile on Vitani's lips grew wider as she gazed at her friend in his eyes before slowly giving him a single nod. "You're very welcome, Kion." The two took a moment to share a fond glance with each other before Kion turned around and left, descending down from Pride Rock and into the night, as Vitani remained at the top and followed his silhouette darting across the savanna before he disappeared over a hill and into the horizon.

**XXXXXXXX**

Fuli trudged through the grass of the Acacia grazing grounds just a few miles north of Pride Rock, feeling very much exhausted after the day's happening. She barely managed to climb a small hill with a single Acacia tree on it and promptly plopped herself next to the tree with a heave, unable to walk any further. She closed her eyes and took in the natural sounds of the night-time play its ever-soothing symphony to ease her mind; the chirping of crickets in the grass, the gurgling sound of water from a nearby river and the whistling sound of a gentle breeze that blew across her body, caressing her fur. She let out a long and happy sigh, the night was just beyond perfect.

"Hey, Fuli. Mind if I join you?"

The Cheetah's ears pricked up when she heard a familiar voice behind her. She looked behind and saw Kion, smiling shyly at her and waiting for her permission. "Kion? What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Well... I thought of hanging around with you for a little while before going off to sleep. Is that alright?"

Fuli let out a chuckle, this wasn't the first time her Lion friend had snuck out from Pride Rock just to be in her company for the night. "Sure, why not?" she happily chimed, patting on the ground beside her.

Kion sauntered over and settled down right beside her, feeling very much relieved that she didn't turn him away. Fuli flashed him a fond smile before tilting her head upwards to look at the vast night-time sky overhead. There was no moon that night, but the millions of twinkling stars in the dark sky more than made up for its absence. A heavy feeling swept across her chest as she stared into the heavens, she suddenly felt the need to confide in her friend about something that she had always kept to herself and never told anyone else about it.

"Kion... can I... can I tell you something?" she asked, her gaze remained fixed at the stars above.

The Lion looked at her. "Sure, Fuli. You can tell me anything."

She took a deep breath, not once moving her sights away from the heavens. "You know, back when I was a cub of only three weeks, my father and I used to star-gaze out here every night on this very hill. I would just stare at the stars and wished upon them, and my father always said that with a little work and a little luck, any wish I made would come true. So I began to wish on them every chance I got."

Kion didn't look at the stars. He was watching her instead. "And what did little Fuli wish for?"

She smiled towards the sky, but her voice held an air of sorrow about it. "She wished that someday, she could find someone... someone who will always be with her by her side so she'll never be alone."

Kion was surprised to hear this, though he tried not to let it show. "She did?"

Fuli nodded before facing him and staring into his eyes. "Yeah. She did."

A tear rolled down from her eye as she let out a sigh and rested her head against Kion's thick mane, nuzzling against it. "You know, Kion... it's funny how you get used to certain things in life. Before I met you and the rest of the Guard, I didn't really have any friends. The other cubs and kids didn't like me, and... because of that, I eventually got used to being called a loner and a recluse... and somewhere along that line... I just got used to being alone. It got so bad that... it came to a point where I began to prefer to just be by myself most of the time."

Kion blinked as Fuli buried her head deeper against his mane. This was a part of her that he, nor anyone else for that fact, never knew about. He wrapped a comforting paw across her body as she silently wept in his mane. "I'm sorry, Kion, I just... I just couldn't help myself," she whispered in a quavering voice.

"You don't have to apologize." Kion softly replied, giving her time to recover from her emotional state.

The Cheetah's weeping eventually stopped as she was finally able to pull herself together, though she was still sniffling slightly. Her gaze made its way back towards the sky while her head was still rested against the Lion's mane. "Have you ever made a wish upon the stars before, Kion?" she eventually asked.

He bowed his head and sighed. "Yeah, sometimes. I used to sneak out from my den when I was younger and climbed onto the peak of Pride Rock and just... sit there and watch the stars. And everytime I watched those twinkling lights in the skies, I would always wish for the same thing over and over again, never giving up hope that it will one day come true."

Fuli smiled, "And what did little Kion wish for?"

He gave a short chuckle and lowered his head. He then turned to face her, making sure his gaze were locked onto hers. "He wished that one day, he would meet a girl. And not just any girl, but a girl who would eventually become his best friend... someone he trusted and loved with all his heart. Someone who always stayed by his side no matter how many times they fought with each other, someone who was always ready to forgive him whenever he made mistakes. And one day, little Kion wished that same girl would eventually be the one to say 'yes' when he asks her for her paw in marriage."

She held her breath as he slowly brought his muzzle closer to her left ear. "And... I'll let you in on a little secret; that very girl is currently sitting next to him on a hill in the Acacia grazing grounds while the night sky was filled with a myriad of stars that twinkled right above them."

Fuli swallowed hard, trying to think of something to say. Then, just in the heat of the moment, she unexpectedly pulled away from him and gazed towards the ground and eventually began crying. Heartbroken for the second time that day, Kion felt that he was undoubtedly the unluckiest male in the whole savanna, maybe even in the entire universe. He just couldn't understand why fate was preventing the girl of his dreams from uttering a simple 'yes' to his proposal of marriage. He let out a long groan and hung his head, now wishing that the ground beneath would somehow miraculously give way so he could escape underground and start a new life as a mole. Did they have moles here in the African savanna?

"I'm s- I'm sorry, Kion, but I can't do this. I don't want to get you into trouble."

His ears immediately pricked up at her last sentence. "I- I don't understand, what do you mean-"

"Kion... you're betrothed to Vitani by your father. If I were to say 'yes' to you, I'll just land you into so much trouble with him, he might have to exile you because of that."

She looked up to see him staring intently at her. "Wait, hold on. Is that the reason why you rejected my earlier proposal this afternoon? Because you thought that I'm betrothed to Vitani?"

She shot him a questioning look. "What do you mean 'I thought'? You are betrothed to Vitani, aren't you? I overheard the Lionesses talk about it when I-"

Her sentence was callously interrupted when Kion suddenly began laughing hysterically and rolling around on the ground with tears streaming down from his eyes at the same time. For a moment, Fuli genuinely thought that her rejection had somehow taken a toll on her friend's mental well-being and she wondered if she should ask for Rafiki to give some medical assistance.

"Kion, I don't understand... why are you laughing, what's there to even laugh about?" she eventually asked in a rather serious tone after getting impatient with his odd behaviour.

Kion finally sat up and wiped away his tears after spending an entire minute of laughing and rolling around on the ground as if he had lost his sanity. "I'm- I'm so sorry Fuli, it's just- it's just that... well, I'm not sure if you're gonna believe me, but... what if I tell you that I just met my dad just half an hour ago _and_ that he told me that my betrothal with Vitani was just one big misunderstanding on his part?"

Now it was Fuli's turn to be left stupefied. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. So... you're saying that you're no longer betrothed to Vitani? Are you sure?"

Kion smiled and extended a paw to gently caress the underside of her muzzle. "Of course, Fuli. You've known me for a long time, you should know I wouldn't make these sort of things up."

At first, she was still at a state of bewilderment, but after realizing what this meant, her expression immediately warmed. "Wow... I- I just don't know what to say, I mean- everything's happening so fast..."

He smiled as he moved closer towards her, locking his gaze onto her emerald eyes. "In that case, shall we... start over?"

She beamed and gave him a single nod. He took her left paw into his and continued, "Fuli... you were and always have been my closest friend since our cubhood days, we played together and we fought together and we even became members of the Lion Guard together. But the most important thing that made our friendship unbreakable, was that we both loved each other no matter what. And err... I've been wondering if you are willing to join me and take our relationship a step further, so that we no longer spend the rest of our lives together merely as just friends, but rather... as mates?"

Her eyes were still focused onto his, not once did either of them blinked. Then, catching the Lion off guard, Fuli lunged unexpectedly towards him and pinned him hard against the ground, taking Kion completely by surprise.

"Yes, yes, of course Kiongozi, yes, a thousand times yes!" she cried out, burying her muzzle against his lush mane.

Kion let out a hearty laugh and wrapped both his arms around her body, savouring this special moment that they shared together. He tightened his embrace around her, not wanting to ever let her go.

_I promised I would never leave you... and you should know, no matter where you are and no matter where you go... I will always be with you every step of the way, now that we are together._

The two smiled at each other, their muzzles only inches apart. "I guess both our wishes have finally come true tonight," he said, gently rubbing his paw on the nape of her neck.

"I guess they have," Fuli responded, chuffing happily and savouring the affection he was giving her. That was when Kion noticed that her smile had suddenly became innocent, a little too innocent.

"But there was one more thing that little Fuli had wished for that has yet to come true..." she whispered softly into his ear.

"Oh... and what was that?" Kion asked unsuspectingly.

In one swift movement, the Cheetah rolled them over so that their roles were reversed, with her laying on her back and him being on top of her, once again catching him by surprise. "...little Fuli wished that she would one day bear cubs with the male that she always loved." She finished her sentence while gazing at him with half-lidded eyes, the smile on her lips had lost all its innocence.

"Hmmm, then let's make little Fuli's last wish come true," he breathed, letting a long drawn-out breath drift along the side of her muzzle.

Fuli chuckled and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, Kion."

"I love you too, Fuli," he lustfully replied before descending onto her and closing the gap between their bodies.

**The End**

**A/n: And so we have reached the end. But don't worry, I'm planning to add an epilogue some time later, so please stay tuned. Hope everyone liked this chapter and of course, the whole story, it's been quite an experience writing such a complicated story, but I'm just glad I was able to finish what I started. Please don't forget to leave some kind kudos and as well as comments on your thoughts of this chapter, and I wish you all a wonderful day ahead! Till next time,**

**yingyangmaster**


End file.
